What is the Mystery Photo Challenge?

Can you create a story from a single image? I dare you to try! The Mystery Photo Challenge is using an old picture for which you have no context to create a story. Think of it as a creative warm-up exercise or as a brainteaser to generate ideas. More importantly, it enables you to practice the storytelling skills associated with personifying still images. Once you master this writing challenge, you’ll be a better storyteller.

Rules

• Must have at least one person (even someone’s shadow will suffice).

• No personal photos; you should not know the people (or even setting) in the image.

• No stock or staged photos (sorry, Unsplash).

• Candids only — posed shots are allowed if they are 25 or 50+ years old, though. If the photo is twice as old as you are, I bet the photos milieu is alien enough to pull you in.

• Black and white or sepia preferred.

• Photos found in the wild work best. It’s as if the photo finds you. Only resort to digital archeology if you have a dearth of physical artifacts at hand, or if your sleuth-like search comes up dry.

Process

• Discover a photo—just be on the lookout.

• Spend the first 3–5 minutes just looking at the photo. No writing allowed; just make mental notes of every single facet of the image you see.

• Allow your mind to wander freely about what’s outside the frame.

• When you strike an idea that persists, begin freewriting three to five sentences to hint at the person in the photo’s story. You don’t have to know the whole situation before you put pen to paper.

• Leave the photo and its story to be revisited later as inspiration or encouragement.

Example I

If you want more content like this in your feed, follow @doorwayfilms on Instagram.

Between undergrad and grad school, I was working as the 1st AD (Assistant Director) on a friend’s short film. In between setups, I happened to see this old photo in the location we were in, which belonged to an old couple. I did not touch the photo, but found it irresistible. I took a picture of the picture and the wheels began to turn. 

Example II

As Andy forced himself to look into the machine and focus his thoughts, he realized the past he was returning to was not as bright as he remembered. Time travel is an ugly business.

This photo, taken in a radiology lab, was the perfect blend of science and unsettling reality. It begged to be turned into a story. The human-like mannequin makes it particularly haunting to me. 

Example III

I remember staring into that camera. Being forced into that goofy situation by Robert. Damn you, Robert.

It was our last good laugh together. I don’t even recollect what we laughed about, but you made a joke so we would smile, and it worked. Damn you.

I looked straight into the lens like a self-conscious fool. I asked for us to retake the photo, but you wouldn’t listen. Said it was better this way. It’s only been 62 days since you’d been drafted and I realized my older brother would be shipping off to the Pacific. “Don’t die, Robert. Don’t you dare get yourself killed or nothing.” He laughed at that too.

Damn you, Robert — why did you have to be the one to get drafted? To be the one who never came home?

Damn it, Robert — I miss you.

My wife bought an antique trunk to decorate our house. It appeared to be empty, but when she brought it home and we opened it up, we found this small photo in the bottom. There’s no name or date on the back. This is the epitome of the Mystery Photo Challenge — find a photo, and then see what story it wants to tell you. 

Purpose

This might seem to be a trivial creative writing class exercise, but I find it to be a stimulating and powerful tool in my ideation toolkit to develop unique perspectives and associations. This is also similar to the concept of imagining the backstory of a fascinating stranger you pass, except it’s more concrete and forces you to work your visual storytelling mental muscles.

If you want to take this exercise to the next level, I suggest taking a group of images that are completely unrelated and forming a sequential story out of those pictures. Experiment with the photos’ order and influence on one another as you rearrange them to develop associations and relationships. This is reminiscent of Canon’s Project Imagin8ion from years ago when user-submitted photographs formed the basis of a Hollywood short film.  

Use the Mystery Photo Challenge not as an end unto itself, but as a jumping-off point. Dive into old photographs on Pinterest if you have to. Once you’ve done this, please share a link to the image and story below in the comments!

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