Start your story with somebody taking a photo.

Posted in Adventure on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 75 stories

“The Mammoth” by Andrew Audibert

Submitted to Contest #144

Jen breathed in and exhaled halfway, slowly, her finger resting on the shutter-release button. At this distance, at this amount of zoom, even the lens’s vibration reduction would do little to prevent some motion blur. To compensate for her unsteady hand, she set her shutter speed to 1/300. To compensate for the shorter shutter duration, she lowered her f-stop to 5.6 and brought her ISO up to 400. The light meter read dead center. Then she stood still for ten seconds, waiting. She released her breath, lowered the camera, and shook her arms, c...

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“The Photograph” by Kyla Anonymous

Submitted to Contest #144

"Looks Good," said Willis as he took the picture of his newborn baby niece. Willis was an aspiring photographer who was just starting his career. "You took way too many pictures," Marissa said, laughing as she looked lovingly at her baby. You can never take too many pictures. We might need them someday," he replied jokingly. Marissa put the baby to bed, and they quietly walked downstairs. They walked into the kitchen and sat down. “Have you heard anything from Brad?” Willis said sadly. Brad was Marissa’s ex-boyfriend, who had left when she b...

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“One Photograph at a Time” by Cathleen Callahan

Submitted to Contest #144

One Photograph at a Time I was nearly ten-years-old when I saw the first photograph of my mother. She had died four years earlier and since then, I hadn’t seen her face. I was forgetting what she looked like. The photo was of her in a white satin wedding gown. And as I looked into her soft eyes, brown hair tucked under her lace veil, I could almost hear her voice, feel her touch. This one photo had brought my mother back to me. Prior to that all traces of my mom had been “snuffed out” in a blink of an...

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“Shh Don't Tell Anyone” by Annette C

Submitted to Contest #144

Dear Reader, I have a secret to tell everyone. It could seem as though I am crazy, but I will give examples of my findings. I would also appreciate it if you tell no one about my findings because then I will be forced into an insane asylum. I will commence my telling. A few years ago I was given a camera, and not long after that camera’s digital imprint was copied into all cell phones. They said it was to drastically improve photo resolution. Little did they know that I had insider information on how that was possible. These scientists...

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“A Disagreeable Woman” by Kay Myranda

Submitted to Contest #144

CW/TW: This story contains subject matter pertaining to sexual assault, substance abuse, and suicideTwenty-eight started with a photo. Not like the pictures you see on Instagram of sequin-donned birthday girls flanked by 2 or 3 equally sparkly friends, all celebrating with hard seltzers or brightly colored, sickly sweet mixed drinks. Smiles and silly faces in abundance, you can almost hear the mediocre club music pounding in the background. No, well…maybe earlier in the night…definitely earlier in the night. But, no, this wasn’t one of ...

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“Ohi’a Lehua” by Craig Westmore

Submitted to Contest #144

According to Hawaiian legend, the Volcano goddess, Pele, fell in love with a young man named Ohi’a. She tried to flirt with the handsome man but he rejected her. He was already in love with a young woman named Lehua. No one ever refused Pele and in a fit of jealousy, she turned Ohi’a into a tree. Lehua was devastated by the transformation and remained inconsolable. The other gods took pity on Lehua. They turned her into a flower and placed her on the tree of her lover. Hawaiians believe when someone plucks a flower from the Ohi’a Lehua tree,...

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“The Flow Of Time” by Charly Woods

Submitted to Contest #144

The shutter captured the house perfectly in the moment. Beautiful shadows of trees laid on brick walls. Windows, like an open soul, figured out the secret buried in the dark depths of a heart. Lighting in the house made the atmosphere warm and calm, like the people living in it could face anything. Like starting a family. A photo rolled out of the camera and the person took it inside. Where he wrote something on it and put it in a small wooden box. A woman put some coins in the box. “For good luck.” She said while putting one hand on her be...

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“A Spirit and a Curse” by Veda Vivek💎

Submitted to Contest #144

Julian has seen lots of things in his life, seen things that made others scratch their head. With a camera and hawk-like precision, he took pictures of these things, catching the infinite beauty tied with the landforms.Today, though, was a special place. Before him stood a landmark that no one could ever quite explain.Around him was a barren desert. On the trek to this place, his shoes hissed on the cracks of earth, little rocks spurring in his wake. Dust settled into small clouds on the surface, hiding his ankle and shoes in a dim mist. He ...

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“Family Photo” by Mary Laumbach

Submitted to Contest #144

Knocking on the bathroom door which seemed to feel like eternity in my young mind. I was starting to panic, would I have enough time to get ready? A cold sweat started as I feverishly hit the door trying to prompt my older sister to hurry up. Finally, the creak of the door opening as she looks at me in disgust. "Are you wear that?", she retorts in mockery. It was a pretty blue dress my mom recently purchased. I was rarely in a dress and very uncomfortable. I would prefer to be in my cut offs with a comfortable cotton t-shirt on. I knew today...

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“Grandpa's shadowpictures” by F.O. Morier

Submitted to Contest #144

When my grandparents were still alive, it was tradition to visit them on Sundays for cake, flan, and coffee. It was the highlight of the week for them. After the cake, made by my grandmother herself, my grandfather took out his best brandy, to refine his coffee with, and then he started to tell his story... -"That was the moment where I got my best photo." he usually started. We all knew the story by heart, but he was a gifted narrator, and he really enjoyed telling it. So, we all listened intently. Grandpa was a peace-loving man, who raised...

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“Maria's Parents” by Chloe Schaefer

Submitted to Contest #144

The flash of the camera nearly blinded him in the dark, but it was worth it to see her face show up on his screen. Her eyes shone with the light of the moon as she gazed among the stars, and her smile shone even brighter when she smiled at them, foggy breath visible in the cool winter air. The two didn't think much when they decided to come to the top of the highest hill in the area, but here they were anyways, staring at the golden dots littering the night sky. He was in his coat and boots, with hands in his pockets and a camera around his ...

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“Salmon Park Sunset” by Stephen Massa

Submitted to Contest #144

Lisa stared at the screen, the image of the camera staring back at her. She always enjoyed photography and always wanted to do more. Her friends always told her she had a good eye, and her Instagram posts of landscapes and waterways always garnered lots of likes. But those were taken with her five-year-old iPhone, and she knew she could do much better if she only had a real camera, which is why she found herself staring at the online camera store’s website. She had lost her job recently which was a blessing in disguise, for sure. She hated...

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“Takapuna Photo” by VJ Hamilton

Submitted to Contest #144

In the hot, crowded market at Takapuna, sweat trickling under my arm, I pull out my sleek little Nikon 35Ti. It is the final month of our sabbatical in Auckland. Four-year-old Daniel is leaning toward a tray of baked goodies, small glazed confections slathered with gooey white, dotted with teasing reds, sprinkled with edible glitter. On the first Saturday every month, this vendor comes by with tray after tray of exotic delights—and is sometimes mobbed by people “in the know.” But we are not; this is a spur-of-the-moment occasion. “Look this ...

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“The Dear Departed” by Jim Loughran

Submitted to Contest #144

My grandmother is very old. She was born on 1 April, 1908, and today is her ninetieth birthday. She is a cheerful happy lady of the old school who adores her family. She likes nice clothes and an occasional illicit cigarette. She is a great cook and raconteur who loves to tell funny stories and has the gift of making you feel as though you are the most important person in the world. But there are some things she will never speak about.There is a polished mahogany box that grandmother keeps on her bedside table. It looks like a jewellery...

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“The Liberator” by Harriett Ford

Submitted to Contest #144

The Liberator “What are the photos for?” Dazed and confused, Professor Sandra Johnson stared at the camera in Timmy's hand. His expression was tender. "You're waking up. Don't be afraid, Miss Johnson. I used a mild dose in the injection. It’s wearing off already." He knotted her limp frame to a kitchen chair and stood back. "Timmy? What's going on?" Her speech was slurry, but her mind began to clear. "I hate to keep you waiting, but I can't release you until...

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Start your story with somebody taking a photo.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 75 stories

“The Mammoth” by Andrew Audibert

“The Photograph” by Kyla Anonymous

“One Photograph at a Time” by Cathleen Callahan

“Shh Don't Tell Anyone” by Annette C

“A Disagreeable Woman” by Kay Myranda

“Ohi’a Lehua” by Craig Westmore

“The Flow Of Time” by Charly Woods

“A Spirit and a Curse” by Veda Vivek💎

“Family Photo” by Mary Laumbach

“Grandpa's shadowpictures” by F.O. Morier

“Maria's Parents” by Chloe Schaefer

“Salmon Park Sunset” by Stephen Massa

“Takapuna Photo” by VJ Hamilton

“The Dear Departed” by Jim Loughran

“The Liberator” by Harriett Ford

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about a wedding photographer.

A character finds an old roll of film, and takes it to be developed. What do they find?

Write about a character who’s pathologically camera shy.

Write a story that centres around an Instagram post.

Contest #144

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

192

Contest entries

114

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: