Dear Reader,

Here’s this month’s Photo Challenge Theme, inspired by stock photography superstar, Lise Gagne. Today, Lise did something that no other iStock photographer has done: She reached ONE MILLION image sales.

My favorite part about Lise’s story is that she started out just like the rest of us... as an amateur photographer with a point-and-shoot camera. She listened to the voice that told her to go for it... and now she’s iStock’s top seller.

Scroll down for your May Photo Challenge theme...

-- Lori

Lori Allen
Director, AWAI Travel Division

P.S. How far will your photos take you? Get started today and find out. Here are two of our best-selling stock guides to help you out.  The Quick and Dirty Guide includes a list of over 20 different online stock photo agencies with step-by-step instructions for breaking into each:

The Lazy Man’s Guide to Stock Photography
The Quick and Dirty Guide to Stock Photography

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May 5, 2010
The Right Way to Travel
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May's Photo Challenge Theme: Taking Care of Business

By Shelly Perry in Portland, OR

This month’s Photo Challenge theme focuses on stock because a good friend of mine, Lise Gagne, just had her one millionth image sale on iStock.com. She’s the first person to achieve that milestone on iStock. And the best part is...

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... she started as an amateur with nothing but a pawn shop point-and-shoot camera.

Lise’s best-selling photos are business, or corporate shots. And that’s no surprise. Corporate shots -- that is, photos of people in suits, attending business meetings, shaking hands, using a computer... anything related to business -- are at the top of the “wanted” list at most stock photo sites. And there is an insatiable need for fresh material, as some companies use new shots every month, week, or even day.

So this month, find some friends with business suits... take your camera to work... or think up some business concepts that you could photograph. Submissions can include:

Making deals and shaking hands...

Staying current... reading reports...
 

Freedom and relaxation of working from anywhere...

Business secrets, stealing ideas, finding the truth...

... or any other business-related photos, so long as they’re well-composed, properly exposed, and have one clear subject.

Remember, try to find a new twist -- your own angle and unique perspective or idea. Business themes have been shot every which way, and having your own style will help you stand out from the crowd -- not only for this Challenge, but for stock photo buyers as well.

Submissions for May’s Challenge are due by 8:00 a.m. EST on Monday, May 31. You can submit your photos by clicking on the "Enter to Win" tab on our website.

This month’s first-place winner will get a $30 gift certificate to the AWAI E-Bookstore, and the first- second- and third-place winners will all be entered into the Hall of Fame, to compete for next year’s $2,000 Grand Prize.

Click here for contest guidelines.

[TIP. Note: Take a look through some business shots on stock sites like iStock.com and Shutterstock.com to get a feel for what makes a good corporate photo. You’ll notice a lot of them have people in them and many are outside in wide, open fields. Our Ultimate Summer Photo Guide can help you better photograph people outdoors, and you can get it for free this week when you test-drive the Turn Your Pictures into Cash program. ]

[About the Author: Shelly Perry from Portland, Oregon specializes in people photography, what she calls documentary or lifestyle portraits. She is known especially for her imaging of children. Her concern for people is reflected both in her sense of purpose and the images she produces. Her images have been seen all over the globe on music CD covers, books, magazines, catalogues, websites, ad campaigns, and even on TV. Her work has also appeared in several local exhibits and gallery shows.]

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