About

Hi! My name is Ruth Hoyt and I am a naturalist and full-time photographer who spends as much time outdoors and as little time at the computer as possible. I say this but actually spend a good deal of time indoors at the computer.

Some of my time spent indoors is on my blog or website, but more of it is spent working with photos (some mine, some belonging to clients), performing research, writing class handouts, magazine articles and much more.

I love to travel for photography, adventure and fun but prefer living in South Texas ranch country where I photograph, lead workshops and tours, guide photographers on private ranches and teach nature photography both in classes and private instruction.

I have taught photography since 1990 and have led tours and workshops for various companies such as Kodak and agencies such as the National Parks system.

Exhibits

My work has been exhibited at the Smithsonian Institute, Missouri Botanical Garden, Powder Valley Nature Center, Shaw Nature Reserve and St. Louis Artists’ Guild, and is on permanent display in various states in the United States.

Photo Credits

National Geographic Books, The Nature Conservancy, Birder’s World, Texas Wildlife Association, Valley Land Fund (Texas), Coastal Bend Focus on Wildlife (Texas), Missouri Wildlife, Missouri Magazine, AAA’s Home & Away, Michigan Living, Texas Monthly, Rio Grande Valley Nature, North American Birding Association’s Birding, Vision Magazine and many more.

Photo Competitions

I have won major awards in significant national and international photo competitions. Some include Nature’s Best (international), Valley Land Fund (Texas) and First Grand Prize with my partner and teammate John Pickles in the Coastal Bend’s wildlife photo contest (based in Texas ranch land).

I work with private students and consult with photographers interested in competition photography, with a very high success rate for grand prize awards.

Organizations

I am a CIG (Certified Interpretive Guide) with NAI (National Association for Interpretation, a national organization with training requirements) and CTMN (Certified Texas Master Naturalist, Texas organization with annual training and volunteer work requirements) with more than 1000 hours of volunteer time logged since 2009.

I am a long-time active member of OWAA (Outdoor Writers Association of America) and currently serve on the Board of Directors. Committee work includes support for the Photography and Excellence In Craft competition sections.

I founded MoNEP (Missouri Nature & Environmental Photographers, www.monep.org) in 1996 and served as President & Chairman of the Board for five years. I founded TexNEP (Texas Nature & Environmental Photographers, www.texnep.org) in 2001. I served as President & Chairman of the Board for seven years and am a current, active member who serves on the Board of Directors.

I also maintain memberships in Texas and the United States with various nature, conservation and photography organizations.