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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#244: Oh Snap!

Photography is the art of capturing light, and moments; a way to freeze time and observe the ever-changing nature of life, if only in a small way. Pictures serve as a testament to our experience, helping us remember, understand, and share it. From cherished childhood snapshots to historical photographs, artistic compositions, and even selfies, some pictures truly are worth a thousand words.


This week’s prompts are all about photographs and the stories and meanings behind them — just remember that, in this case, a picture is worth between 1 and 3 thousand words.

This week's prompts

Center your story around a photo that goes viral.

Funny – 29 stories

Start your story with a character staring at a picture they don’t remember taking.

Mystery – 73 stories

Write a story about a character who risks their life to take a photo.

Adventure – 39 stories

Write about a character who sees a photo they shouldn’t have seen.

Dramatic – 66 stories

Begin or end your story with a character taking a selfie.

Fluff – 33 stories

Stories

“Illusory Truth” by Mabel Gray

Submitted to Contest #244

The woman in the picture smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She stood suspended in a moment of clarity and joy, arm draped around her friend’s shoulders, posing in an almost desperate way that guided the attention to her figure. The pair stood outside a local bar, dressed like any other woman in her early 20s about to go to the same place they go every weekend. Their night was likely filled with the same dingy guys trying to buy them drinks, and a strong feeling of deja vu.  As she stared at the woman in the photo, she saw herself. Q...

1 comment 1
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“I've lost my slippers” by Annie Blackwell

Submitted to Contest #244

The photo in my right hand turns every lump in the armchair’s seat to stones, pressing relentlessly. It reminds me how long I’ve sat here wondering about it, and in truth, pretty much everything else. If only I could think harder, drag memories out of the sticky date pudding in my head. My left hand reaches up and finds straggles of hair. No truths to be found there. The Warden comes in and stares at me. He may not be a warden, but when you’re imprisoned in your body everything outside it taunts your incarceration. Nothing is mine any longer...

9 comments 9
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“Shadows of Memory” by Kimberly McIntosh

Submitted to Contest #244

I held the photograph delicately in my hand, feeling the weight of its memories heavy on my heart. The vibrant colors of the sunset danced before my eyes, casting a warm glow that contrasted sharply with the cool uncertainty that engulfed me. How could something so beautiful be so foreign to me? Furrowing my brow, I searched the depths of my mind for any trace of familiarity, but it was like trying to grasp at mist—elusive and fleeting. The photograph seemed to mock me, a silent reminder of a past I couldn't remember. With a sigh, I set the ...

4 comments 4
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“Selfie Vengeance” by Noted Moments

Submitted to Contest #244

'Nina stood in her dimly lit bedroom, phone in hand. The soft glow of the screen illuminated her face as she angled the camera for a selfie. Her green eyes reflected a mix of lies and unease. The room felt heavy, memories clung to its walls like cobwebs. The house was empty of other life; not one relative in sight.' Three years ago, on a stormy night, her boyfriend, Alex, had been brutally murdered. The police never found the killer, and Nina's grief had consumed her. She knew she had to move away, hoping to escape the pain that haunted her....

2 comments 2
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“Pluck of the Irish” by PJ Town

Submitted to Contest #244

“It’s a good likeness, though,” Paddy says.Roberts throws the newspaper across the room. Or rather, he tries to; it flops down on the breakfast table, on top of the toast and jam that Paddy’s prepared. Roberts tries to extricate the paper from the stickiness and gets jam on his fingers. They stick to the paper, making it even harder to perform the operation.“That’s all I bloody need,” he says, several days of stress making the utterance strained, almost tearful.“Here, let me—” Paddy says, moving over to help Roberts.“Get away!” he snaps, sti...

13 comments 13
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“I Don't Know You” by Dave Bede

Submitted to Contest #244

James had already forgotten about the dust up with Lisa by breakfast the next morning. It was par for the course for his ex, as he’d told all his friends so many times. As usual for breakfast, the dining hall was not crowded. Besides, James was still half asleep without his coffee. So he didn’t notice the uncomfortable looks he got from his few acquaintances who were present. The same went for his walk to French class, where only the few others who were unlucky enough to have an eight o’clock class were out and about. It was only when he arr...

2 comments 2
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“Incriminating Polaroids” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #244

I had been staring at the photograph so long it was just a blurry smudge wobbling between my fingers. I tried to will my hand to stop shaking, but instead the tremor traveled up my arm and embedded itself in my core. I turned my attention back to the photo that I had retrieved from my vintage Polaroid moments earlier.It had only just begun to develop, the image still fading into existence, the mild chemical stink of the development process still clinging to the film, the photo still pinched in the exit chute in the front of the bulky camera ...

3 comments 3
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“Quicksand Mind” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #244

The photo is mine. I know this, but I cannot say why I know it. There are not the words, only a feeling that provides me with a reassuring certainty. I have to focus in a way I never used to, or at least I don’t think I did. I focus hard and another piece is provided for the puzzle before me. A piece that will fade soon enough. My existence here is temporary and I have lost the ability to make anything stick. Maybe I never had that ability, only an illusion provided by a heady cocktail of cock-sure arrogance and the ignorance that ...

6 comments 6
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“Life Goes On” by Paul Hellyer

Submitted to Contest #244

The two of them did their best, on-demand smiles, and stared directly into the screen of the camera, as Joel held his phone away from their faces, and pointed the screen at them both. Even though, like all selfies, there was something artificial about it, you could see tangibly the connection between the two of them, comfortable to be in each other’s personal space. It was evident in the photo that the two of them were on a boat of some kind in the sparkling city harbour, the imposing figure of the harbour bridge visible between th...

0 comments 0
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“Nooks and Crannies” by Nick Baldino

Submitted to Contest #244

There it sat, in a framed glass on the windowsill that overlooked a spice garden and a sloppy view of the city. Mark never really noticed it, but he remembered it being there every time he washed the dishes, his hands moving brilliantly through the suds. Under stalks of parsley and coriander, his eyes would drift to it- its hard brown frame, the aged curl of the photo, his reflection peering ghostly over the two girls. Then it would disintegrate in his mind, into the hot, shifting clutter of his work, hiding until his sight reclaimed it the ...

1 comment 1
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“Peter's Trick” by Brian Haddad

Submitted to Contest #244

"I'm dying," Amber wheezed, tears streaking down her cheeks. She doubled over and gasped for air, her windpipe croaking dramatically as she heaved and worked to force air back into her lungs. Beth rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she said, scrolling nervously through the comments on her recent Instagram post. There were tens of thousands of them. Most were just some variation on 'The King!' but few were any wittier. She closed her eyes and shook her head while Amber continued her steady march toward an imminent death. "Your first viral post and i...

8 comments 8
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“Good Dog” by Cade Holter

Submitted to Contest #244

I didn't notice the photo until I was already home. I hadn't noticed it at the park because there was a fight going on over a kid's soccer match between two grown men. I wasn't paying attention to the why of it because I was busy recording it, and that was on top of making sure my dog, Murphy, didn't run off after all the little things that caught his interest. He's just a little thing himself, I didn't want him getting hit by a car or something.Regardless, I only noticed the picture on my camera roll because I have a habit of going into the...

0 comments 0
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“A Polaroid Without a Memory ” by Emma Jean

Submitted to Contest #244

Old photos always seem to have a lasting effect on the mind. Most people believe they remember that specific moment, the smell, the temperature, whether they were happy or sad; but that isn’t really true. No one actually remembers a photo, it's just an image of ourselves created in a pix elated world that the mind forcefully tries to spark a feeling or correlation to what the photo means. I however, still enjoy the crisped fixtures of opted memories of my childhood, boxed away in dusted containers that seem to always call me back to relieve ...

0 comments 0
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“Alien Pictures” by McKade Kerr

Submitted to Contest #244

Captain Finnian looked at the photo he took and smiled. Another great shot of a colorful nebula, or as Quixly liked to call them, ‘baby stars.’ There weren’t many photographers that had the privilege of traveling the universe for their art, and Captain Finnian felt very lucky every time he got to capture a new scene from space or on far off planets. “Did you get a good shot of ‘im, sir?” asked Quixly, his trusty alien assistant. Quixly had four arms, three eyes, and two antennae that could both hear and smell. His green skin pulled all the f...

15 comments 15
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“The Captivating Image of the Girl in Green ” by Crystal Wexel

Submitted to Contest #244

“It just doesn't make sense!” Mandy slapped the Polaroid picture onto the coffee table. “Babe! I swear, I know it sounds like a lie, but I swear to you, I don't remember who that girl is, let alone ever taking her photo! “Mandy stomped her foot and put a hand to her hip, a playful smirk drew at the corner of her lips.“Tom O’Neil! Just get on with it and tell me who she is. I can see that the photo was taken years ago, so I’ve got nothing to be jealous of!”The two had spent most of the afternoon in bed making love and watching movie...

2 comments 2
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$250

Prize money

239

Contest entries

91

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Apr 05, 2024 EST

Won by K.A. Murray 🏆

Title: The Party

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 | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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Prompts | Big Blue Hand | 2024-11

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