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

Posted in Mystery on Jul 5, 2024

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✍️ 75 stories

“Not Safe” by Karen Arnold

Submitted to Contest #258

The British Invasion was all over the news in the early 60’s. Magazines about rock musicians were in the homes of preteens and teenagers. Many of them sponsored press cards for their readers to interview rock stars. Outraging, I suppose, were pictures in 16 Magazine of the Beatles homes in England.Let’s make a guess. Linda McCartney’s maiden name was Eastman. She was well known as an established photographer and heir to Eastman Kodak films. The guess might be that she photographed and published the pictures of the Beatle manors. It doesn’t t...

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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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“Captivated” by Natalie J Angel

Submitted to Contest #258

Jerod stood at the horseshoe scenic overview on Wolf Creek Pass. The air was crisp that morning, with nearly ten thousand feet elevation. As he turned snapping photos of every angle he took a deep breath at the majestic beauty. He took pictures of the waterfall off to the right at the beginning of the climb towards the summit. The water rushed loudly as it came off the top of the mountain. He had never seen the trees along the pass, tall ones, small ones, and leaves in red, orange, and every shade of green. Jerod walked across the hors...

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“The photo that took me from amateur photographer to professional” by Jolene LaSalle

Submitted to Contest #258

Up until recently, photography was just a hobby for me. Oh, everyone said I had a great eye for setting up and framing a photograph, but mostly I was just taking random shots of things that interested me when I was out on my daily peregrinations. But that all changed one day when I caught a glimpse of something I had always thought was just a "fairy tale," something people said was there, but nobody could ever prove. And yes, I took several pictures of it, from different angles, with different photo effects and filters, and even changing the...

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“The Lighthouse of Arnold's Bay” by TJ Gadd

Submitted to Contest #258

The Lighthouse of Arnold's BayArnold’s Bay, South Africa, was a diamond town until it ran out of diamonds. It then became a titanium town, until it ran out of that too. And then it became a fishing town, until the waters were overfished. Then, a crayfish town, until the ocean bed was littered with empty traps. Then, the locals discovered that the surrounding land was perfect for framing potatoes, and then it became a potato chip town, until the underground water dried up. And now it is a nothing town, except for the occasional tourist.But, t...

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“Saying Goodbye” by Amy Sutch

Submitted to Contest #258

The late afternoon sun shone through the slats in the fence, casting a ladder like pattern across the sidewalk. Ellie sat on the warm, cement stoop sorting through the last box from the attic. Every now and then the breeze would stir the honeysuckle, reminding her of its sweetness. Cleaning out the house stirred lots of memories. “Ellie, where are you?” “Back porch,” she cal...

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“Invisible Atlas” by Emmanuelle Shemko

Submitted to Contest #258

For as long as he could remember, Atlas had felt invisible. But today, by some strange twist of fate, he actually is. Gone, vanished, non-existent, as if he’s been wiped from the face of the planet. His friends thought booking a photoshoot and posing in silly positions would be funny. Elyssa brought up the idea. “I neeeeed some new pictures for my Instagram,” she’d declared. Francesca shot her a look of exasperation, but they all knew she was just being dramatic. They knew she’d be on board for a photoshoot because who didn’t love an excuse ...

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“The Frame” by Ulrica Edvinsson Sundin

Submitted to Contest #258

In the quiet suburb of Elmswood, where mist drifted lazily over manicured lawns, and the scent of autumn lingered in the air, lived Oliver—a young man with an insatiable curiosity for the strange and uncanny. One brisk afternoon, as shadows lengthened and the neighbourhood settled in, he stumbled upon a quaint boutique, tucked away between a coffee shop and a vintage bookstore. The sign above the shop's entrance, half-hidden by ivy, read: "Arcane Antiquities." Intrigued, he stepped inside, his brown hair almost invisible against the dark woo...

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“Photographer captures an image of something unexplainable what happens next” by Lisa Davis

Submitted to Contest #258

Kim is a photographer and loves taking photos of the outdoors. She loves the look of nature in photos. And always goes to the National state parks to take some of her best photos. She left for a weekend of taking photos at the nearest state park. When she arrived, there was a family of five there in the same area as she was. They were a lovely family with two sons about the ages of three and five with a girl of about the age of ten. They were getting ready to have a picnic at a nearby picnic table. She started taking photos of the fam...

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“The Smiling Man” by Paul Vi

Submitted to Contest #258

Long before the instant gratification of digital photography, I used disposable cameras. Then, I would wait a week for the corner drugstore to develop the film so I could show it to my mom. I was nine years old, and my mom would buy those plastic Fuji cameras that came wrapped in a bright green cover. Those same cameras still hang on store shelves today.I know it was that specific brand because one day, my curiosity led me to remove the cover and open the camera. I wanted to see the internal parts. I was shocked to find out what was inside -...

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“The Ghoul Behind the Camera” by Yanna Khaleel

Submitted to Contest #258

My name is Adire Angami. Although I hail from Africa, my parents moved to America when I was just five months old, so I've spent most of my life here. Recently, I've embarked on a journey into photography, reconnecting with my African roots along the way. Sharing photos of African culture online has garnered me some recognition. Despite the high recommendations from some of the contacts I made online, I felt there was something more out there. And I was right.One day, I received a message from Mansfield Models, a prestigious modeling agency,...

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“Exposed Evidence” by Steve Krysak

Submitted to Contest #258

The abandoned building was shrouded in shadows. The air was thick with dust, invisible particles revealed themselves as they floated past the portable work lights. An old Polaroid camera, mounted on a tripod, was bathed in the halogen glow and focused on the boarded-up storefront. A beat-up aluminum framed door with broken glass windows tucked between two counters. Nearby, microphone arms were clamped to the edge of a folding table, wires snaked down into an audio mixing board and a laptop computer. Cassidy Quinn cleared her throat and licke...

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“Materialized Threesome” by James DeMaio

Submitted to Contest #258

There must be millions of unexplained pictures. The “dark knight satellite” stands out in my mind. It looks a lot like Batman, but Batman never flew in outer space, or orbited the earth. Then there’s the very old and spooky picture of a female image on a staircase in a large, old home. I’ve seen the picture many times, and normally there’s some kind of story about the image, but it’s all supposition. The most interesting ones to me are of “skinwalkers”, which are supposedly humans transfixing themselve...

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“Jack hit the road” by Jelleke Wierenga

Submitted to Contest #258

If you would just stop being so emotional, darling, we can communicate. But you’ve switched off, totally. I try to speak to you in between your crying, talking on the phone, talking to visitors, friends, the children, organising, driving here and there … But even when you sit quietly in my Chesterfield armchair with a glass of wine, I can’t get through to you. Your mind is whirring away, busy, busy, busy. No leeway for me. Just now your cat hissed at me. She always was your cat, although it was me that found her in the bushes at the back of ...

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“Annie Callahan” by Alexie Fugate

Submitted to Contest #258

This story is a little graphic near the end, so if can't stomach that sort of thing or it just makes you generally uncomfortable, then I wouldn't read this because it is VERY important to the overall story! A single photo can tell you so much more than your own words can. I waited for the photos to download onto my computer as I nervously bit at the cuticles on my nails. I had already gone through my thumb, making it a light pink color from the constant biting, and have now made my pointer finger the next victim. As the progress bar increa...

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

Submissions are closed

✍️ 75 stories

“Not Safe” by Karen Arnold

“Fairy tale #3” by Sasha Beetle

“Captivated” by Natalie J Angel

“The photo that took me from amateur photographer to professional” by Jolene LaSalle

“The Lighthouse of Arnold's Bay” by TJ Gadd

“Saying Goodbye” by Amy Sutch

“Invisible Atlas” by Emmanuelle Shemko

“The Frame” by Ulrica Edvinsson Sundin

“Photographer captures an image of something unexplainable what happens next” by Lisa Davis

“The Smiling Man” by Paul Vi

“The Ghoul Behind the Camera” by Yanna Khaleel

“Exposed Evidence” by Steve Krysak

“Materialized Threesome” by James DeMaio

“Jack hit the road” by Jelleke Wierenga

“Annie Callahan” by Alexie Fugate

🌟 Similar prompts

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

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

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

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

Contest #258

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

289

Contest entries

88

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: