Catching photo bug

Although he works for a pest control firm, Timothy Joner would much rather photograph an insect than eradicate it.

While helping to make sure homes are free of nuisance and harmful bugs such as mosquitoes, roaches and fleas, Joner loves to photograph insects in the wild, especially ants, butterflies, wasps and bees.

He hopes his images illustrate how fascinating, beautiful and beneficial many insects are.

"I like to show insects in a positive manner," said Joner, 32, an office manager for Palmetto Exterminators.

Joner lives in Greenville but travels the state. He said the Lowcountry's natural beauty and architecture make it a favorite place for him to shoot.

Joner's peers are recognizing his talents. Early this year, he was named first-place winner of the eighth annual Best Pest Photo Contest sponsored by Pest Control Technology magazine.

His close-up of a honeybee (entomologists call it Apis mellifera) atop a sunflower earned him top honors and a $500 prize. One judge marveled at the photo for having "the 3 Cs": color, clarity and composition.

"Even the dollops of pollen are visible on the bee," the judge wrote.

Joner's photos are appearing in Palmetto Exterminators publications.

"He helps a lot with marketing. He volunteers his services when we need photos for ads and brochures," said Tara Snyder of Palmetto's Lowcountry offices.

Joner began his career at Palmetto in 2005 as a salesman, became certified in pest control and has held numerous positions with the company. He's now office manager in Greenville. His travels take him all over South Carolina, sometimes with his wife, Katie, but always with his Nikon D70 camera.

"I love to go out with my wife, hiking and taking pictures," he said.

With a job that requires an extensive knowledge about insects, and with duties that often bring him in close contact with them, Joner found that recording images of insects was rewarding.

"I developed a love for photographing insects," Joner said. "Capturing bugs and pests in their natural habitats provides a great entomology training tool for our technicians and provides an educational opportunity for our customers," he added.

His photographs, he said, have helped him on the job, and he can show people how ants differ from termites.

Joner recalled taking some of his favorite pictures at Middleton Place. He was attending a company business meeting at the plantation inn when he glanced toward the Ashley River, bathed in the diminishing light of sunset.

"I said, 'This is beautiful. I've got to go out and shoot it now,' " he recalled.

He said he'll never forget shooting the Wood Nymph statue at the plantation. After he'd made his photos, he looked down and saw a large, black snake "that scared me out of my life," he said with a laugh.

Joner said that on the day he took the photo that won the contest he was traveling to his mother's home in northern Greenville County and stopped at a spot where a group of bees was "having a field day" with sunflower plants.

That picture was taken by a Nikon D80 with a Tamron 90 millimeter macro lens, he said.

"I like the fact the picture actually tells all the details of the bee, all the way down to its hairs. I also like the contrast between the black and yellow, and that the photo shows the bee in its natural environment, it shows what they are seeing," Joner said.

Joner said he's really "a very shy person when it comes to my photography" and he'd never entered a photography contest before.

"Tara encouraged me to enter, and I thought, 'What's it going to hurt?' All I can do is not win it," he said.

Winning surprised him, he said, adding, "I'm glad to be able to share something I love to do."

Reach Edward C. Fennell at 937-5560.