By Mimi Pollack
RAMONA, California –Throughout his life, Roy Toft has always had an affinity for animals. This amiable Ramona photographer, now in his early 60’s, has had many adventures, photographing wildlife and leading tours around the world. He lives in Ramona with his wife, Stella, and their cat. Now he is giving a gift back to the Ramona community with the release of his new coffee table book, Wild Ramona.
When he was a student at Cal Poly, his major was wildlife biology, but a camera, a Canon AE1, given as a graduation gift by his father, changed the course of his life. Photography became his passion and his degree in biology also came in handy.
However, a fledgling photographer needs to build up a reputation, and after he graduated, Toft came back to San Diego and began to work at the Wild Animal Park.
During his college years, he had worked there as a volunteer, so it was a good training ground. Toft managed the bird show which later took him to Hawaii. During that time, he constantly took pictures and honed his craft. He began to sell these pictures to stock agencies which he continues to do to this day. His pictures have appeared in National Geographic and Audubon Magazines. He began to make a name for himself.
He also branched out to become an experienced tour guide. He leads photographic expeditions to in Africa and Central and South America, including Botswana, Costa Rica, and Chile. With his keen insight to animal behavior and his jovial personality, the expeditions are very popular, and sell out quickly.
During the pandemic, his business came to a halt, so he decided to pursue his skills at his 40-acre property in Ramona. For many years, he had set up video trail cameras in his “cool little valley.” so although they were not the best photographs, they kept him aware of the wildlife around his property, such as gray foxes and bobcats.
Thus, began his foray into “camera trapping” which is taking photos with remote cameras triggered by the animals. He was familiar with the technique, having done something similar for a National Geographic project, photographing tigers. Toft said that this technique allowed him to capture unique and eye-catching animal moments.
He realized there was a lot of interest in local wildlife. Thus, he decided that a coffee table book would be a good way to allow people to celebrate the wildlife of Ramona. For him, it would be a gift to his Ramona community.
It took him a year and a half to put the book together and on May 23, the self-published 148-page book arrived. Toft remarked that this book contained photographs of animals that everyone knows are there, but are not often seen, such as gray foxes, unusual birds, bobcats, and mountain lions. This book really shows Toft’s connection to animals and nature. One of Toft’s favorite photographs is of an elusive mountain lion drinking from a small granite pool with the silhouette of Starvation Mountain in the background.
Another favorite part of the book for him are the drawings by Caroline Smith. Every chapter in the book begins with the artist’s renderings, showing the locations of the animal traps and which animals appear. The result is a stunning book.
The book can be purchased at his website or at one of the many book signings being held around the county. Toft has been promoting his book by doing book signings, such as the one he did at the Ramona Ranch Winery on June 15th.
In addition, he has upcoming photo tours planned to Brazil and Costa Rica in 2025 and to Botswana in 2026. Check out his website at TOFT PHOTO SAFARIS
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Mimi Pollack is a La Mesa-based freelance writer with a particular interest in animals.
What a great, informative article, Mimi! Roy’s photographs look beautiful and the tours sound terrific! I look forward to reading more of your articles and discovering more about the fascinating people living in San Diego.
Thanks so much,
Ilene
Mimi, this is a wonderful article. He Roy is like a true steward, indeed, and I’m very impressed by the photos you’ve included in the article. Keep ’em coming!
Charming article and thrilled to experience a new artist. Thank you for sharing, as usual. I have lived in Rancho Bernardo for 60 years now and find that there are so many wild animals that live here among us. Racoon’s come up from the water drains; Foxes, cavort in the street after dark; and Rabbits forage in my garden early mornings and leave there droppings which adds nutrients to the soil. Thanks Mimi for introducing me to a wonderful fellow photographer.
Cool article Mimi, and just up your alley.
Pamela 🙂
It is a beautiful article. Roy is a fantastic photographer. Once can feel his connection with nature through his pictures. Hello pam. Hugs. Eve
Great article Mimi.. I so enjoyed meeting you at Roy Toft’s book release at the Ramona Ranch Winery. This is an enjoyable comprehensive history of Roy’s journey:
Starting with his introduction and early experiences colored by an innate love for wild animals and crystalized into a career with the gift of a camera, through his current situation as photographic ambassador of wildlife conservation.
I found this article educational and inspiring to all who might wish to embark on a similar career
Cindy Shepard
Thank you, Mimi, for such a great explanation of Toft’s history and his connection to animals. Ramona is so lucky to be home to so many animals and we really do celebrate this unique and spectacular aspect of living in the backcountry!