Start your story with somebody taking a photo.

Posted in Adventure on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 75 stories

“Alibi” by Maria Avisal

Submitted to Contest #144

"Guys we have to get a photo!” Kiara shrieked, the pitch of her voice betraying the effects of her third vodka-soda. I rolled my eyes at Alexis but obliged, turning my back to the stage and putting my arms around Alexis to my right and Kiara to my left as Kiara reached her arm out to snap a selfie of the three of us. Having known me as long as she had, she knew better than to let me look at it and beg her to delete it. I hated the way my smile made my eyes scrunch asymmetrically, and it didn’t help that Kiara and Alexis alw...

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“Archie the Tree Monster” by Tanya Humphreys

Submitted to Contest #144

Lee-Roy White snickered as he took off the stolen rain jacket. He’d been warm and dry all the way home, even his hair, thanks to the jacket’s hood. It looked like a golf jacket, and it was big enough to fit him. On Wussy Wyatt, it’d come down to his bony knees. ‘Must be his dad’s.’ He hung it up in the entryway that his father called ‘the mudroom’ only cuz it had tiled flooring. ‘Mine now.’ He snickered again at the thought of that skinny little goomba soaking wet and shivering on his walk home from school. He a...

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“Flycatcher” by Mo Colby

Submitted to Contest #144

I breathe, I take aim. He freezes in my viewfinder, silver shadow fur and bleach, caught in the act of turning away with his face still twisted towards me. An eye-shadow bruise leaks down from his eye. This in the breath before hell patches through: the bass thrums, a dark object flies through the frame in slow motion. He cannot see it, doesn´t know until the bottle makes contact with the mic stand and splinters on his chest. My finger falls. The shutter clicks. I put the cap back on my camera, screwing down the lid on the firefly that glows...

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“Let Me In” by Shrimpy K

Submitted to Contest #144

TW: Gaslighting, Stalking The cool touch of the camera on my cheek is refreshing in comparison to the harsh glare of the sun biting at my skin, and the clicks of the camera shutter cut against the sounds of birds chirping nearby. The weather has been quite unforgiving lately, so when you decided you wanted to go out to the park downtown today, it was a bit of a surprise. I would do anything with you, though, so I eagerly tagged along. It was nice to watch you get ready so excitedly, with your cute, green button-up sweater atop your favorit...

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“The Girl in the Pool” by Cliff Pratt

Submitted to Contest #144

Ripples spread across the surface of the pool, fracturing the reflection that he was trying to photograph, and Joe shook his head in annoyance. There was no wind, so he guessed that the disturbance was caused some small aquatic animal, a beaver or an otter or even a large rat. The ripples had spoiled his plan to take photographs of the sunset reflected in the pool, but maybe he could get a wildlife shot. The pool was isolated, hidden in a small corner of a wild area. There was a small jetty which had seen better days, but still seemed to be...

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“What the Lens Sees” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #144

What the Lens Sees As the sun begins its descent by just kissing the horizon the atmosphere explodes in a palette of brilliant colors of every hue and shade. Jonesford quickly focuses his lens so that he won’t miss a second of Nature putting on her most stylish ball gown to welcom...

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“Eye of the Beholder” by Martha Sanipe

Submitted to Contest #144

“Phillip, stop fidgeting with that dusty old thing,” Darlene scolded as I looked through the viewfinder of my vintage 35mm camera. “I can’t even see the rest of the group, we’re so far behind!”I was too busy lining up the shot to answer her right away. This place was so stunning it begged to be photographed.I’d tried many times to explain to my wife the mechanics of 20th-century photography and its superiority over what passes for photography in our day. How the point-and-click of a retinal implant produces images that are clear, accurate—an...

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“You May” by Margaret Warrington

Submitted to Contest #144

Cornwall, 1901 Ross squinted into the sun as he slowed his horse to a trot. After four gloomy days of rain, he was glad to trade the dark walls of his family’s home for the warm salt air of the cliffs. This pathway left the newly returned and generous sun at his back and though it’s rays stung his eyes as it sparkled on the calm waves down below, it felt pleasant along his sleeves and shoulders. He closed his eyes for a moment and relished the warmth. It was then his horse moved under him with a thunderous jolt. Hooves rattled against the ...

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“Smile Wide ” by Jimmy Papazotos

Submitted to Contest #144

I tried my hardest to avoid cracking a smile. No matter how much the sides of my mouth tried to curl themselves up at the site of my mom, so excited, I stifled them back. “C’mon, let me some of those pearly whites,” she pleaded. No matter how much the slightest smile would make her happy, I stood strong. With me dressed head to toe in hand-me-downs, my mom fumbled with the camera, trying to take a first school-day photo. Every item I wore was stretched beyond repair with faded colours from drastic overuse. This didn’t deter my mom’s spirits;...

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“Flowers Film and Floods” by Michael Heavener

Submitted to Contest #144

Flowers Film and FloodsThe Mesa Verde plateau, a sunny day, a girlfriend, a camping van, a camera -- and fields of wildflowers. The perfect day, the perfect place, and the perfect vacation. While Susan sat in the van reading and enjoying herself, I ran happily around the fields with my macro lens, taking pictures of all the different flowers. I had my pocket guide and my photo log with the will to annotate every single photograph. In the matter of a morning, I amassed several hundred Kodachrome frames of blossoms, leaves, seed pods...

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“Just a Picture” by Hinky Punk

Submitted to Contest #144

„It’s just a picture.“ Still, all I manage to take is yet another photograph of a hand. Blurry. The hurried movement created strange patterns, a swirl of light that was reflected off a ring on a finger. It’s nice, has a bit of an artsy feeling to it. Maybe I could do an art show one day? Hundreds of photographs of hands in various states of blurriness. It’d probably be a huge hit. A small chuckle escapes my lips as I think about it. Fancy art gallery, posh outfits, expensive champagne, people philosophizing about the deeper meaning behind...

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“A Peek at the Universe Next Door” by Dave Goodwin

Submitted to Contest #144

Isaac Hendrix watched intently as Alex Michaelson tuned the various instruments that made up the complex array of what he called his Dimensional Camera. Then, he hit the button that was to give us a peek into a parallel universe. Ah, nothing appeared to have happened, but Alex seemed quite happy about the attempt. “Alex, did you get a picture”, I asked tentatively. Alex mumbled something unintelligible, but it sounded like ‘maybe yes, maybe no’. He then seemed to drift back into the trance-like state that he was becoming known...

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“The Case of David and Oswald ” by Mario Owens II

Submitted to Contest #144

The Case of David and Oswald It was the first day of summer, the temperature reached 90 degrees on a Friday night, and a full moon was in the sky. On-duty rollcall begins in an hour. I can hear Captain Reed tell my immediate supervisor we are in for a long hot, and dangerous summer this year; I hope they are ready. We rarely saw Captain Reed in our roll call room. He only would stop by when we have seriou...

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“Click!” by Erin Belmares

Submitted to Contest #144

WARNING (this story contains depictions of stalking, be wary before reading) Click! The water quickly rushing down to meet it’s mother earth was merciless and triumphant. “Oh that’s a good line,” I said to myself. Click! I quickly jotted down my passing thought into my writing journal and then stared back at the rushing waterfall. My writer’s block has been ruthless the past month. It’s been pretty irritating in all honesty. I got myself into the middle of my book and then it was just nothing. But I can feel it. ...

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“Fine Fruit, One Blemish” by Erin Frost

Submitted to Contest #144

Cameron lifted the plastic menu to his face; I couldn’t see his eyes, but I knew he was smiling big enough to make them shine. His bald head bobbed a little as he looked over the menu at his favorite breakfast spot. Most anyone else would just know what the menu said by now. We’d been coming here for three years. Every, single, day for those three years and eleven weeks. I snapped the Polaroid and pulled the picture of the back of the menu, his bald head and his fingers clutching the menu out and fanned it make it develop faster. I thought i...

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Start your story with somebody taking a photo.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 75 stories

“Alibi” by Maria Avisal

“Archie the Tree Monster” by Tanya Humphreys

“Flycatcher” by Mo Colby

“Let Me In” by Shrimpy K

“The Girl in the Pool” by Cliff Pratt

“What the Lens Sees” by Bob Faszczewski

“Eye of the Beholder” by Martha Sanipe

“You May” by Margaret Warrington

“Smile Wide ” by Jimmy Papazotos

“Flowers Film and Floods” by Michael Heavener

“Just a Picture” by Hinky Punk

“A Peek at the Universe Next Door” by Dave Goodwin

“The Case of David and Oswald ” by Mario Owens II

“Click!” by Erin Belmares

“Fine Fruit, One Blemish” by Erin Frost

🌟 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: