He began tinkering with photography in the mid-1990s, but it was not until his retirement from public utility work in 2012 that he was able to devote himself fully to his photographic practice. Ruth first learned his favored process, the wet-collodion technique, in 2005. He uses antique view cameras and vintage lenses and appreciates the slow, labor-intensive work required. He completes each of his one-of-a-kind images from start to finish in around thirty minutes. Since the collodion process requires that all of the work—coating the plate, exposing the image, and developing it—be completed while the plate is still wet, Ruth has created a portable darkroom in the back of his vehicle.