This exhibit is on display in the Sigel Gallery at the Falmouth Art Center from November 1 – 30.
“’50-Pound Blanket’ is a deeply personal and introspective photograph project chronicling my journey through depression and healing after transitioning from a military career to civilian life and full-time college studies,” he wrote. “This project explores the themes of depression, aging and the therapeutic power of art. It aims to foster dialogue and contemplation about the impact of mental health on individuals and how creative expression can promote mental well-being.”
For Mr. Ives, he found solace and therapy through the lens of his camera and set out on a journey in Utica, New York, to photograph the essence of the city. Drawn to discarded and forgotten objects, he explored the city by foot and engaged with people he met. Eventually he realized his photos weren’t just documenting Utica but creating a self-portrait—a visual representation of his struggles and resilience.
His photography journey began in the military. Throughout his 24-year military service, he used photography to document military life both at home and abroad, capturing everything from cityscapes and the quiet rhythms of daily life to sweeping New England seascapes and portraits of fellow service members.
In 2012, while deployed to Afghanistan as the lead medic with Provincial Reconstruction Team Farah, he was appointed as his team’s photographer, documenting counterinsurgency efforts and everyday moments amid conflict.
His work from this period, over 700 published images, appeared in Time, Mother Jones, Newsweek and Department of Defense photo essays, earning him Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Photojournalist of the Month in 2013.
After retiring from the Navy, he earned his BS and MS in Photography, Multimedia and Design from the S.I. Newhouse School at Syracuse University where he now teaches and manages the school’s photo studio.
Teaching, creating and sharing stories through photography remain at the heart of his practice.
For Mr. Ives, the important thing is light. “Light is the foundation of photography and essential to compelling visual storytelling. It’s more than illumination—it reveals and conceals, it drives emotion and narrative, and transforms ordinary scenes into moments of quiet significance. Light is everything.”
-Joshua Ives
