She specializes in food and still life photography with a predilection for shooting in daylight. Ilva shoots both commercial and editorial photography; on the editorial side she has worked with publishers and magazines like QA International, Art of Eating, Sale & Pepe, Alice Cucina, Mat&Vanner, Conde Nast. She works on location and in her own studio. Ilva has received many important international recognitions among which the most important are winner of the IACP Digital Media Award for Best Photography in 2014, finalist in Sony World Photography Awards and finalist in Pink Lady Food Photographer of the Year Awards, both in 2016.