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CONTEST ENDED – Thank you for submitting your stories!

#258: Frame of Mind

What do you think of when you hear the word "photography?" In a general sense, it involves preserving memories or documenting events — and while not everyone considers it an art form, you’ve probably snapped photos of your family, friends, or even food at some point with your phone!

With that in mind, this week’s theme focuses (no pun intended!) on photography and the stories and emotions that pictures can create.

This week's prompts

A forgotten photograph tucked away somewhere is the catalyst for an unexpected journey.

Adventure – 87 stories

Center your story around two strangers who bond over their shared love of photography.

Character – 30 stories

Write a story where a photograph could change the course of history if it’s delivered to the right (or wrong!) person.

Short Story – 32 stories

Start your story with someone who has lost everything but finds solace in photography.

Dramatic – 63 stories

A photographer captures an image of something unexplainable. What happens next?

Mystery – 75 stories

Stories

“Origami Eagles and the Whuppin’ Belt” by Astrid Skarsgaard

Submitted to Contest #258

The will was brief and precise. I got everything. The house, the land, the money. The house and property were tucked away in the northern part of the Texas Panhandle, miles from a highway and light years from anything I had ever known. The money was tucked away in municipal bonds, earning two percent a year. Eighty-nine years of RG’s life distilled into legal documents and an old photograph. Grandpa Rook, who insisted that I call him RG, died peacefully in his bed while I was sleeping peacefully in my bed, two hundred miles away.Everyon...

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“Through the Lens of Genevieve ” by Sarayu Kesarapalli

Submitted to Contest #258

Genevieve had always seen the world through a different lens. Growing up in the quaint town of Abilene, she found solace and wonder in capturing moments with her camera. To her, every click was a poem, every frame a story. The rolling hills, the cobblestone streets, and the faces of the townsfolk were her canvas. Her passion for photography was a sanctuary, a place where she could lose herself and discover the world anew. It was on one of those serene autumn afternoons, while she was photographing the vibrant foliage at Willow Park, that she...

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“Hidden in Plain Hue” by Steven Nimocks

Submitted to Contest #258

Act IKeyboard clacking filled Data Comm Group’s dim rooms. Ethan Reeves hunched over multiple screens, his hazel eyes darting between financial data streams. The lines of code blurred as he squinted, trying to make sense of the suspicious patterns emerging.A burst of energy shattered his concentration as Zoe Chang exploded into the room, her vibrant blue hair a whirlwind around her face. “Guys, you need to see this!” she exclaimed, her words tumbling out in a rush.Ethan tensed. “What’ve you got?”Zoe’s fingers flew across her tablet as she pu...

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“Fairy tale #3” by Sasha Beetle

Submitted to Contest #258

From a very young age, I loved taking photographs. For my birthday, my father gifted me an old Leica, and I rarely parted with it since then. I photographed everything: people, animals, the sky, trees, leaves on trees, dewdrops on leaves, and even specks of dust on the dewdrops. Every time I pressed the camera button and captured a moment of life, I felt like a powerful wizard, a master of time, able to steal pieces of the temporal continuum without asking. All my pocket money went into my new hobby. After a year, I had accumulated so many f...

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“Cameras never lie” by Eddie McKenzie

Submitted to Contest #258

Henry was a photographer, freelance and somehow forever just one step behind whatever was necessary to make a name for himself. That said, he had managed to get a landscape or two featured in named magazines, and if he happened to have framed the article they were featured in and stored it safely in his room, that was rather between himself and his dresser. For something that was considered a glorified hobby, the fact that it was something that brought him joy managed to be far more important than any intention to monetize his pleasure. The ...

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“ONE THOUSAND MILE JOURNEY” by Melinda Madrigal

Submitted to Contest #258

Today was a hard day for my family. Today we buried my grandfather or pops as he liked to be called. Pops was the best guy. Pops and nana were married for many decades. They were so much in love. Pops was more than just my grandfather. He was my confidant. Pops was there for me more than my own father ever was. I talked to pops about everything. I loved him so much. Now I'm left with a big hole in my heart. I can't stay with my family any longer. It's painful knowing pops is not here. If there was a time when I need pops the most it would be...

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“The Hummingbird ” by Johanna Parry

Submitted to Contest #258

She found it at the bottom of her sock drawer. Old cough drops, a pencil, smiles paralyzed in a photograph. Awkward almost-adults hanging on each other while holding up a trophy. It was a birding award from the National Audubon Society. A gold hummingbird sitting perched atop a wooden base with a plaque that read "Winner of the 1938 hunt for the Amazonian Bomber." Under that it has the latin name; Patagonas Gigas. Linda cringed. The audacity it takes to name a magnificent bird, without considering what those who lived with it from antiquity ...

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“Doppelganger” by Mindy Reed

Submitted to Contest #258

The accumulation of what can only described as “stuff” is incremental. Hardly noticeable until a surviving relative must plough through it and decided what will be saved and what will be demolished. I discovered among yet another box of old papers, a small black cylinder. I held it between my thumb and forefinger and lifted the lid carefully with my thumbnail. It contained an undeveloped roll of film. A label on the container read: “Eliza.” ...

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“Searching for Daddy Dearest” by KathyLynne Marshall

Submitted to Contest #258

“Eighteen lesions in her brain? How is that even possible?” Dr. Rosa Scarlett’s cream-colored office walls were covered with black-framed medical accolades, and a small vase of fresh, crimson flowers brightened one corner of her tidy desk. Our mother, Vera Cartell, sat in a comfortable chair between my sister and me, as we riveted our gaze at the accomplished surgeon whose jet black hair, alabaster skin, and apple-red lipstick, reminded us of Snow White, or a glamorous runway model. Conversely, Mom looked so tiny, so vulnerable. He...

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“Tucked Away and Almost Forgotten” by Pete Gautchier

Submitted to Contest #258

Reedsy Prompt: A forgotten photograph tucked away somewhere is the catalyst for an unexpected journey. Tucked Away and Almost ForgottenThe year was 1965. It was no longer possible to delay the inevitable. It was spring cleaning day at our house, and my wife insisted I tackle the daunting task of organizing and downsizing the mess in our attic. No one had ventured up into that space since the day we moved in back in the early 50’s. I cautiously opened the door but to my surprise there were only a few boxes and a small...

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“My Body Remembers Your Face” by Sophie Goldstein

Submitted to Contest #258

Sensitive Content: substance abuse; mentions child abuse“Look at the camera, Milo,” he says, waving his hands back and forth, “Come on, Milo. Look over here, right here.”3-year-old Milo is entranced with a butterfly, his pudgy hands reaching for it.The man laughs and walks over to Milo, picks him up and they smile at each other, Milo now reaching for the man’s face.At that moment, Lana takes the picture.Thirty Years laterI’m standing on a street corner with the clothes I had on when I was thrown in jail. I’m carrying a plastic bag with the t...

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“Fallen Photo” by Louis Ribezzo

Submitted to Contest #258

Money is insignificant to me, it is merely a necessity for humans. However, tonight I found myself attracted to a wallet of my broken prey. In a desperate struggle to escape it had fallen out his pocket. As my hunger dissipated, I unlocked my fangs from his neck. My odd attraction to the leather object hastened my preparation. Methodically, I peeled off the skin of the man’s neck to erase the bitemarks. This was a common procedure to disguise the human feedings. The neck made a sound of masking tape be...

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“Freshman Year” by Moosh A

Submitted to Contest #258

It’s dark. Pitch black. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that my eyes were closed. The PSE&G report says the power should be back on around 1am, which is 4 hours from now. I hope to be sleeping by then, but I can’t imagine sleeping with the darkness threatening to suffocate me. The thought brings shudders down my spine. In my younger days, a power outage would’ve sent me into a full-on panic attack. Now, it’s more unnerving than anything. I use my hands to navigate my surroundings in search of a flashlight. Flashlights I speci...

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“Old Wounds” by Justin Diaz

Submitted to Contest #258

Old Wounds The midday sun shined brightly on the American flags that adorned all the homes in town and down main street. As preparations were being made to celebrate the tenth anniversary of V-E Day. The day that World War Two ended in Europe and so many of the veterans, city officials and volunteers were busy setting up for a large parade and festival to commemorate the soldiers who fought and died for the country. You would be hard pressed to not find anyone feeling a sense of patriotism this time of year. Except for some of the younger ge...

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“Down Memory Lane” by Lisa Spargo

Submitted to Contest #258

Down Memory Lane Alex Roamer climbed the steps of his parents’ house, dreading the job of cleaning it out. He and his mother had planned to go through everything when they got the time. But the stroke and his mother’s death made that time now. His father had passed several years before and he had been nagging his mother to get rid of all the junk he used to hang on to. Every time Alex would say, “Dad why do you hang on to this?” His father would answer, “I have a good memory about that.” His mother said the same thing abo...

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$250

Prize money

287

Contest entries

88

Stories

Ended on 23:59 - Jul 12, 2024 EST

Won by Rozmarin Ideas 🏆

Title: She Owed Nothing to Ghosts.

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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