Above, Kim Fleming of Donalds frequently takes Ruby, her sight hound, with her as she walks though the fields and woods looking for interesting bugs to photograph.   To see the calendar photos, click here: Fruit Fly Mantid Fly

Some photographers prefer capturing beautiful faces. Others prefer pretty sunsets or amazing landscapes. Not Kim Fleming of Donalds; bugs are her thing.

Fleming doesn't claim to be a professional photographer, but her bug pictures are gaining momentum and paving the way to recognition for capturing some unusual shots. Two of her pictures of a fruit fly and a mantid fly have been accepted for the Entomological Society of America's 2007 wall calendar and will be printed in an 8.5 by 11-inch format, she said.

"These are my first printed pictures," she noted. "I don't expect to make a living off photography, but it is a fun hobby."

Fleming said she doesn't intend to give up her day (or night) job as a math teacher at Piedmont Technical College's Greenwood campus, but she does plan to continue to perfect her photography of bugs.

Why bugs? Fleming said it's a combination of taking long walks and enjoying nature. "I've always loved to take pictures and always liked bugs. I used to have three big dogs and took them on long walks. I would notice lots of interesting bugs along the way." she explained.

Fleming said that for a long time she had only a regular camera, not a professional one. She said she noticed that other photographers were into doing nature pictures, so she decided to buy a better camera. She now takes her Canon 30D digital camera with her when she walks her two-year-old sight hound, Ruby, on the 83-acres farm where she lives in Donalds with her great-aunt, Eva Drake.

The pictures she submitted for the calendar were taken on the farm.

Fleming posts a picture a day on the Internet on the Web site for her family and friends to view: www.flickr.com/photos/myriorama. She calls it "local nature."

"She's just the best," said Drake. She said the family is very interested and pleased with the fact that Fleming is capturing the pictures from the woods and creeks behind her house.

Fleming has also taken pictures of slime mold found on decaying wood. These myxomycetes are only a couple of millimeters high. She said this mold is not a fungus but rather something between a plant and an animal. These unusual pictures are also on her Web site.

Originally from the Greenwood and Donalds area, Fleming moved to Union when she was eight years old. She graduated with a degree in ceramic engineering from Clemson University and went to work for Lenox China in Kinston, N.C. for about seven years. She returned to Donalds in 1997 and decided to follow a long-time interest in teaching. She began teaching for the Center for Accelerated Technology Training (CATT) at Spartanburg Tech and later became an adjunct math teacher at Piedmont Tech.

Donna Foster, interim dean of General Education and Transitional Studies at Piedmont Tech, said she was excited about Fleming's pictures appearing in print. "She has developed into a good math teacher for us, and it is interesting to see how well she is doing with her photography, too," Foster said.

For anyone interested in identifying bugs, Fleming recommends the Web site www.bugguide.net. She has submitted several pictures to the site for identification, and it was someone from the site who suggested that she submit pictures for the calendar.