A method of stabilizing a photographically useful organic substrate material having an absorption peak between about 300 and about 800 nm in wavelength, said organic substrate material being selected from the group consisting of anthraquinone dyes, quinoneimine dyes, azo dyes, methine dyes, polymethine dyes, indamine dyes, indophenol dyes, indigoid dyes, carbonium dyes and formazane dyes, against the action of light which comprises making coexist with said substrate material at least one compound represented by the following general formula (I) ##STR14## wherein M represents a Cu, Co, Ni, Pd or Pt atom;
- R.sup.1 represents an alkyl group or an aryl group;
- R.sup.2, R.sup.3, R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 may be the same or different and represent a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an alkyl group or aryl group;
- and further, R.sup.2 and R.sup.3, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 or R.sup.4 and R.sup.5 may combine to form a 6-membered ring, said compound of the formula (I) being present in a stabilizing amount which does not adversely affect color hue as well as color purity of the photographically useful organic substrate material.