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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

“A Message” by M B

Submitted to Contest #244

Kairi grunted as she pulled on her boot, her blue face scrunched up in concentration. Now, finally dressed for duty, the young empathic female felt a sense of readiness. Opting for the dress uniform, rather than the Patrol jumpsuit, seemed suitable for bridge duty — a task primarily involving data reading and system monitoring. Or so she hoped. If her career in the Patrol had taught her anything, it was the unpredictable nature of their work; situations could escalate from mundane to critical in moments. Glancing at the chronometer in ...

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“Mirror Image” by Indigo Simmons

Submitted to Contest #244

“Woah, what’s up with your face in that picture?” My best friend, Beverly, questioned from beside me, her voice startling me as I dragged my confused gaze away from the image of myself that had been staring back at me for the better part of 5 minutes, and I furrowed my brow as I locked my eyes with hers and say,“To be honest, I’m not even sure where it came from. I don’t recall taking this photo.” As I finished my sentence, I slid my eyes back to my phone screen, analyzing the photo of myself, but I couldn’t seem to pinpoint when I had snapp...

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“The Sunset Picture” by Rachel Ross

Submitted to Contest #244

I woke up early so I could get the perfect photo. Quickly, I dressed in brown, scruffy pants, a baggy shirt and my hiking boots. I tied my coffee-brown hair into a tangled ponytail and slipped on my glasses. Once I had grabbed my bag, I was ready. I snuck out of my camping caravan and took a deep breath of the morning air. The sky was still dark but after a quick consultation with my watch, I knew it would rise soon. I took a stroll around the desert, spotting little lizards and harmless snakes retreating to their hideouts. The Grand C...

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“Dairy Cows” by Jay Simmons

Submitted to Contest #244

I was on the platform when Ant phoned me. He was supposed to pick me up from the station. We would then drive to Nutton Farm for the story. I’d never met Ant before. Not properly. He was rarely in the newsroom. He tended to film feature pieces. When I pitched the farm story, the bosses roped him in as well: I would write the article, he would film for the website. There would be a photographer there as well, apparently. I was quite pleased with myself. I had found a story as an intern that was important enough to involve journalists twice my...

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“Vietnam Photographer ” by Sirref Pen Name

Submitted to Contest #244

There is a photo taken by Gabriel Helen during the Vietnam War. It is of an American soldier rising out of a black zipper body bag. There is a billet hole through his head with a circumference of blood like a tattoo. He holds out his arms as rises, gasping for breath. It looks like a modern day fable of the Resurrection. The man’s name is Francis Lebell. His hat is dirty blond, disheveled and curled, dried and unkempt, unwashed and dried with blood. A thin mustache over his lips almost appears red, little hairs also tangled in dr...

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“Eye See You” by Olivia Inez

Submitted to Contest #244

Nobody warned me how boring adulthood could be. As a kid, I was never bored. They do say curiosity is the cure for boredom, and boy, was I curious kid. My eyes were filled with wonder, that’s what my mom always said at least. I remember spending my days in the “forest” behind my house, exploring, playing pretend, and collecting random objects I deemed worthy. One day, I even mapped out all of my favorite spots. I would spend hours playing with literal dirt and sticks. Now, I always feel as if something is missing, my sense of purpose. After ...

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“Anna” by Megan Benham

Submitted to Contest #244

I shouldn’t have gone in his wallet, but we had been married for three years. We shared a bank account, for goodness sake. Why couldn’t his wife try to slip two twenty notes in his wallet to pay for dinner? I had been trying to do a nice thing. Now I sat on the edge of our bed, my hands shaking. I felt tears bubbling beneath the surface, but I wouldn’t let them rise. I wanted to be angry, to shout, to argue. I sucked in a shaky breath through my dry lips, squeezing my eyes closed as a barrier against the tears. The shower turned off in the b...

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“Selfie on her birth day” by Wendy Rappeport

Submitted to Contest #244

‘Terry, I think the baby’s coming!’ cried Marina, clasping her hands urgently across her big belly and gasping. Terry jerked the wheel to the left and pulled up in the safety lane.‘What? Now? It’s not due for eight weeks!’Marina burst into tears. ‘She can’t be born yet, she’s too small.’‘What exactly is happening?’‘I just had a big painful contraction,’ Marina explained tearfully. ‘I know it’s too early. I must ring Dr Shelley.’Terry took charge, calmed his sobbing wife and got out his phone.Dr Shelley answered promptly. He also said it was ...

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“Thirty, Flirty & Fabulous” by Erin Doherty

Submitted to Contest #244

Say ‘Thirty, Flirty and Fabulous!’ Shelby rolled her eyes at her two sisters. Both of them holding up their phones to take a photo of the birthday girl. Shelby held out her own phone and took a selfie. She preferred her own camera to theirs.Shelby stood holding a flute of champagne, she was wearing one of the hotels white towel robes with a black swimsuit underneath. She posed a little for the photos holding up her glass. They were planning to go down to the spa after a few selfies and pics and of course after a glass of bubbles.The three of...

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“A Poisoning in the Pews” by Paul Simpkin

Submitted to Contest #244

I looked again at the selfie. Her name was Jessica Robinson, 28, attractive, happily married and a regular member of my congregation. She never missed a Sunday. She was smiling as if she did not have a care in the world. And yet within a few hours she was dead. Poisoned in the pews. I should introduce myself. I am the Reverend Marylebone Pocklington-Pugh. For the last three years I have been rector of the beautiful church of St Cyprian’s in the tiny rural village of Pootley Crapington. Although it says vicar on my driving licence in fact I s...

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“A Royal Photographer” by Luv Lubker

Submitted to Contest #244

Livadia, Crimea, October 1874 “Here it is!” Affie took his fiancée’s hand as he found the picture he had been searching for. It was a picture he had taken nearly ten years ago, during a passing visit to his sister. There had been nothing about that visit to make it particularly memorable, and yet now, the picture meant so much. He could not take his eyes off the face which appeared next to his own so very youthful one – the same sweet face which was now so very close to his. Marie bent over the album to study the picture as well, her cheek b...

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“Sea of Life” by Laura Dvoran

Submitted to Contest #244

Today started like any other day, except there was something that continued to bother me. I was Spring cleaning my bedroom and came across an old photo album taken years ago, and I zeroed in on one particular photo I don't recall taking.It showed a picture of me standing in front of the ocean which I have never in my life visited and the views were amazing. The sky overhead was the most vivid blue I have ever seen along with a few puffy clouds in addition to the glorious color of the sea which seemed almost an aqua marine in color. The magni...

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“The Sandor Effect” by Dr. Stephen A Salaka

Submitted to Contest #244

The world tilts with every throb of my pulse, a discordant beat against the maddening silence. The Sandor Effect – a delusion spawned in the suffocating darkness of my workroom, or the first tremor before reality itself shatters? Truth, an intoxicating poison, burns my throat even as I crave another taste. Old friends, family... their voices recede, blurred murmurs lost to the relentless drumbeat of unanswered questions. What is the cost of knowing? My sanity? My life? Worth isn't found in the soft cage of comfort; it's forged in the crucibl...

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“Forgot but not Forgiven” by Kathy Frizzell

Submitted to Contest #244

Plot, the clue causes the discovery and execution of an assigned task, which entails the destruction of a photograph, whose capture he has no memory of. In probable friendship, between a Griffin and a Blood-Hunter. The event is set in motion by a scandalous incident involving “Crowley” and “Dusty.”Oh, and there’s a unexpected turn of events! “Rusty,” a twin, will have a major part in the story’s development.Note: A twin, named Rusty, {Lamassu,} traits are: mature, intelligent willed, mysterious, proud, jealous, Cold-Hearted, and brave. The s...

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“REMEMBERING BELLA” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #244

I stare at this picture constantly. Day after day. Night after night trying to remember who the girl in the picture is. I'm the girl in the blue dress or so I'm told. The girl in the red dress I don't recognize. I don't remember this picture at all. I don't remember taking this picture. Memories are a dime a dozen. One in a million. More precious than gold. Everyone in the world remembers who they are, their families and their friends. They remember their childhood. All those memories are right there in their heads. My memories come in flash...

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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!

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