A new story in our Contributor Spotlight series.
It is a valuable skill in the photo agency industry being able to capture easily accessible visuals that are literal, good quality, great to look at and yet are symbolic, in that they can be licensed by many media clients to anchor and illustrate various topical and news related editorial articles. Lindsey Nicholson, one of our New York based contributing photographers (and Editorial Director here at UIG) excels at this. We asked her to give some insight in to how she gets ideas on what to shoot.
Electric Vehicle Charging Station and sign in Alton Shopping Center parking lot, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. 
Man using Online, pick up lockers at Macy’s store, Queens Center Mall, Queens, New York. 
Charlotte International Airport, Ride App Passenger pick up area, for WAVE mobile app users, Charlotte, North Carolina. 
Showing support by displaying the Ukrainian flag, from Highline park, Manhattan, New York. 
Team of workmen repaving sixth avenue at night, Manhattan, New York. 
iPhone 15 Pro display at Best Buy Store, Queens, New York. 
Woman dropping off food scraps at local city run Compost collection site, Farmers market, Queens, New York. 
Electric Vehicles using EV charging station in parking lot of Bank, Queens, New York. 
Wilson E Bike and Electric Scooter Sales and Repair shop, Queens, New York. 
Amazon Prime, EV delivery van at night reflected in puddle, Queens, New York. 
Apple store in Rego Park shopping Mall, Queens, New York. 
Uber and Lyft Driver, signs in car window, Queens, New York. 
Immigrant delivery drivers waiting around for delivery orders, Hells Kitchen, Manhattan, New York. 
Customers in the Self Checkout lines at Costco, Queens, New York. 
Stack of LG Room Air Conditioners for sale in Home Depot store, Queens, New York. 
Man using barcode reader at self checkout kiosk, Home Depot store, Queens, New York. 
Crowds entering Queens Night Market, Flushing Meadows Park near Science Museum, Queens, New York. 
Closed movie theater on 86th street with for rent sign posted in window, Manhattan, New York.
“I’m often asked where I get my ideas and what I look for when I’m out and about shooting. There are several key research tools that I use to determine what I should be looking out for when I’m out with my camera. One important tool is news feeds and trends newsletters, I spend a good part of each day looking at the local and global news to see what seems to be trending (It’s also good to see the images used to illustrate various topics). I try to keep an eye on my local news as these are usually easier for me to shoot without a lot of investment in time and travel. “
Woman choosing book inside public library in Denver, North Carolina. 
Mobile order and Uber Eats and Doordash delivery pick up area at Starbucks coffee shop, Queens, New York. 
Need Help button sign on locked up merchandise, Target Store, Queens, New York. 
You’re Hot, Stay Cool sign with AC unit and fan posted to street light during heatwave on 86th Street, Manhattan, New York 
Pick up truck supporting Donald Trump with We the People, American Eagle and proud of our military sons signs, Florida. 
Robot by Badger Technologies with googlie eyes in produce aisle of Stop & Shop in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 
Harris Walz campaign sign in yard of residential area, Falmouth, Massachusetts. 
New Barnacle style boot that attaches to car windshield rather than tire for drivers with outstanding parking and traffic tickets, Queens, New York. 
Promotional signs at construction site with cranes, Willets Point, Queens, New York. 
Highway sign near roadwork, Project funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Building a Better America, Long Island, New York 
Sign, Park treatment underway, path blocked off, Forest Hills Gardens, Queens, New York. 
Two security cameras on corner of building, Albertson, New York. 
Sign directing to Hospital main exit, Jupiter Medical Center, Florida. 
LGBTQA pride flag on steeple and Refugees immigrants welcome sign, First Presbyterian Church of Forest Hills, Queens, New York. 
Detail of man in Hospital bed, Jupiter Medical Center, Florida.
One of my favorite sources is Flipboard app and 1440 newsletter which allow me to “follow” lots of topics and get all the news in a central location. I also follow my local community newsfeeds and Facebook pages for image ideas. Over the years I have signed up for many finance, consumer & creative trends newsletters that will highlight trends in the advertising and commercial arenas, which often crossover into editorial concepts. There are a couple key subjects that I’m personally passionate about and will often pursue images that speak to these topics. For example, I’m an avid cyclist so I shoot a lot of stories centered around transportation and biking (and often stop while biking to shoot stock). I usually try and find an environmental or climate related point of view. In addition, I seek out technology, whenever I see some “new innovation” in my everyday life I will shoot it for stock. Another handy tool is keeping lists of topics and locations I want to cover in the notes app on my iPhone.
Sign directing to Family Fun Day This Way, Alley Pond Park, Queens, New York. 
Stormy skies over 50+ retirement community, Denver, North Carolina. 
People waiting to order food at Chik Fil A, Gardens Mall, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. 
Amazon delivery man emerging from truck, Queens, New York. 
Messy Gift Card display, Have Fun, Duane Reade, Queens, New York. 
Gift Card display in Costco store, Regal Cinema, Subway and Coldstone Creamery, Queens, New York. 
Vaccination appointment check in sign with QR code, Walgreens pharmacy, Queens, New York. 
Customers using food order kiosks in recently renovated McDonald’s fast food restaurant, Queens, New York. 
National Egg Shortage due to Bird Flu, sign on empty shelf at supermarket, Queens, New York. 
Amazon delivery person standing in front of full delivery van, Manhattan, New York City. 
NYPD police closed and locked up shop selling illegal marijuana products, Queens, New York. 
Customer selecting a dozen eggs in refrigerated aisle at grocery store, Queens, New York. 
Tesla Service Center and parking lot with Cybertruck, Boston, Massachusetts. 
NYPD Police EV car charging at a Charge Point electric charging station, Manhattan, New York. 
Select narcotics in time delay safe, security sign at Walgreens Pharmacy, Queens, New York.
While I’m out and about walking in my neighborhood, socializing with friends or doing things in the city, I refer to my list. I describe my shooting style as scavenger hunting; searching my everyday surroundings to “find” an interesting subject is a big part of the joy I get from shooting editorial stock. Lastly, I will say that a lot of my success to due to clear concise captioning and keywording which helps clients to find images that are trending. It isn’t as much “fun” as taking photos, but strong relevant keywords can really boost your sales.”
All images featured in this post are copyrighted to Lindsey Nicholson. All images featured on this post and on Kaleidoscope are available for licensing. Please contact us at info@universalimagesgroup.com
Interested on becoming a contributor photographer to UIG? Contact us at info@universalimagesgroup.com