Born in 1931, she began her career in France and Spain before moving to South America, where she photographed Eva Perón and the funeral of Juan Perón. Orive founded La Azotea publishing house when she was just 30, and has been known for championing the work of many Latin American photographers, particularly women; she published the works of Annemarie Heinrich, Grete Stern and Adriana Lestido early on in their careers.