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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#144: Take a Picture, It'll Last Longer

Whether you pose happily or are a serial camera dodger, there are probably some photographs you treasure. Photos are a way of connecting us with our past, capturing a special memory, or even giving us a peek into each other’s lives — albeit through a filter.


This week’s stories explore the unique art of photography, and how it impacts our lives in big ways, and tiny ones.

This week's prompts

Start your story with somebody taking a photo.

Adventure – 75 stories

Write a story about a wedding photographer.

Valentine's Day – 31 stories

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

Middle School – 45 stories

Write about a character who’s pathologically camera shy.

Character – 21 stories

Write a story that centres around an Instagram post.

High School – 20 stories

Stories

“110 Penitent Ghosts” by Benjamin Boxer

Submitted to Contest #144

Stepping onto his mother’s covered porch, I stiff-armed the purgatorial ghosts of pointless memories. Vague reflections looked up from a murky pond of rippling time, and even the ghosts that resembled me laughed with blame. Especially the ones that looked like me. Those familiars mocked attentively, the rest in spurts and fits.They came up from the ground like watery smoke and wafted through the rails. Sitting, standing, running, lying—they fought, they laughed, they hoped. They also huffed, sniffed, and puffed—rolling their bright potential...

2 comments 2
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“The Photographer” by Carmen Ella

Submitted to Contest #144

The Photographer Little Mary's mother had laid the special dress out on her bed. It was a special dress for a special little girl on a special day. Little Mary was going to have her picture taken. The Photographer wasn't just any old random photographer. It was her dad. Little Mary's dad had just taken up photography as a hobby and wanted to practice his hobby by taking a picture of his favorite subject, his precious baby girl. "Who's ready to get her picture taken by daddy?" Mary's mother entered the room and picked up the little dress ...

2 comments 2
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“Leah's World” by Jesper Jee

Submitted to Contest #144

It was Tuesday morning and time moved slower than usual. Leah consulted her watch. In the time it had taken for the clock to go from 10.30 to 10.50, she had; brushed her teeth, dried her hair, applied her makeup, downed another Celsius energy drink( Sparkling Grape Rush ) and, also according to her watch, walked approximately 632 steps, mostly around her own room. She was excited. There was still ten minutes left until she could post her recent picture. In reality the picture was almost a full week old, take at last weeks boat trip with the ...

3 comments 3
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“How I Met My Brother ” by Jill Engelhardt

Submitted to Contest #144

I posted a picture on Instagram. Some friends of mine were doing a #funfactfriday challenge and I decided to join in.  The photo was a polaroid of a toddler boy sitting in a highchair. He has a mop of red-brown hair on his head and he’s wearing a blue and white striped polo. He’s averaged sized with the pudgy cheeks of childhood. He had a small cake in front of him. His eyes look at it greedily. Around him are several adults, clearly in mid-song. The photo has that red-brown tinge to it that happens to polaroids from the late 1970s ...

2 comments 2
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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 ...

2 comments 2
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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...

1 comment 1
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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...

2 comments 2
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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...

5 comments 5
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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 ...

1 comment 1
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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...

4 comments 4
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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 ...

0 comments 0
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“Levi's Genes” by Tianna Glass-Tripp

Submitted to Contest #144

I look out over another sprawling green lawn in front of another palatial estate. Bursts of wisteria obstruct the view of the second-floor window in a way that is meant to look natural; as if the vines crept up the terrace slowly, secretly. A nuisance of nature that just happened to be beautiful and therefore allowed to stay. But it was clear that every inch of this venue was chosen with care. These vines were guided over time to make the perfect patterns and create beautiful purple filters for the east-facing window. Dutifully, I stack the...

6 comments 6
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“Cold Feet ” by Em P

Submitted to Contest #144

I have my routine down to a science, I think. I meet with the couple in advance. It’s usually a very relaxed interview. I ask them what type of schedule they’re looking at, if they have any particular moments they want caught on camera. It’s usually very standard stuff.  The first look. The first dance. The first cake slice. The first middle-aged aunt to get drunk enough to begin loudly denouncing her siblings’ political views and parenting techniques in front of a crowd of onlookers. This way, I know exactly when to be ready to t...

2 comments 2
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“Picture Perfect Blues ” by Debra Koffski

Submitted to Contest #144

My wedding was in weeks, we hired all the people we would need to ensue a beautiful day. The day of my dreams. Except for one minor detail. We quickly realized that having the wedding of your dreams cost money. Lots of money. And we only had $300 to hire a photographer. I was heartbroken! I was sitting at the kitchen table with my mom going over things and she said, “I’m sorry honey, we saved but emergencies kept popping up”. I did not want her to feel bad, so I reassured her that I would figure something out. But it turned out that it was m...

1 comment 1
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$250

Prize money

192

Contest entries

114

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - May 06, 2022 EST

Won by Rebekah Jordan 🏆

Title: Unseen

Submissions must be between 1,000 - 3,000 words and will be approved and published on Reedsy Prompts within 7 days of the contest closing.

Read the full terms & conditions or check out the FAQ if you have any questions!

Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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Prompts | Many Hands | 2024-09

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