Here’s this week’s photo tip, with three of photographer Shelly Perry’s favorite shots from the Photo Challenge… Lori Allen Director, AWAI Travel Division FROM GOOD TO STOCK By Shelly Perry in Portland, OR As an official stock photo inspector, I’m trained to look at every little detail in a photo. And every month, while sorting through the Photo Challenge submissions, I come across some shots that are really good, but could still be improved in one small way or another. Three of this month’s submissions stand out for me as great shots that could use just a little tweak to make them stock-worthy. Here’s the first shot… 
The only thing I would suggest for this photo is a little processing. Here it is with a small levels and curves adjustment (more on how to adjust levels and curves here). 
Notice how these two simple adjustments give the shot more “pop” with a little more contrast and brighter colors. Here’s another one… This shot, called “Mutual Comfort,” is a darling photo. Shots like this, with a strong human-animal relationship element, can be high sellers for stock. In this case, since the person in the photo is not recognizable, a model release would probably not be required. 
My only suggestion for this shot might be to get in a bit closer and put the puppy a bit further, placing him on the right Thirds Line, like this: 
In this third shot, below, I get the feeling that the photographer kept taking photos and trying different approaches as she watched her children playing — something I always advocate doing. 
I suggest running it through some processing and possibly giving it an even tighter composition. Placing the hands on the thirds line would make the composition stronger and leave good space for editorial copy: 
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