Although now having shot on-assignment for two years, I still shoot on-spec anything apparently newsworthy - and upload the photos to a news-photo agency. I do this for potential additional sales of photos that I own - and for additional exposure when on-assignment work is slow. And because, simply put, I love photojournalism.
So it was again last March - when, while doing errands locally, I saw a cellular-phone tower. As a longtime ham-radio operator, I was well aware of the “not-in-my-back-yard” disputes that had long plagued the industry. I also was well aware that the industry was hot - and that use for such photos might be significant.
As a shooter, I noticed that the background and lighting were near-perfect. I headed to a nearby place near the tower’s base - and got out my dSLR; the lens I had on it then - a 70-200mm - was perfect for this. I checked camera settings - and shot a small package. I then uploaded them to a news-photo agency.
Over a year later - last week - a photo (below) from that package ran widely on a paid basis in many Russian publications. I’d later learn that was because Russia now is developing its own cellular phone industry.

Cellular phone tower, Burlington, N.C. - run Sept. 16, 2014 in Daily Digital Digest (Russia) and other Russian news publications.