PhotoGrief Submission Guidelines

Language is limited when it comes to expressing the experience of grief. How could one genuinely explain the depths of their despair or accurately describe the memory of their loved one's smile or how it felt to hold their hand in their final days on Earth? Sometimes the right words simply don't exist. 

When words fail, photography allows us to reach across the void and say - here, let me show you. Photographs often communicate what words cannot; they help us escape, they connect people who live worlds apart, and they freeze moments in vivid detail. 

Why Photography?

Most people have practiced photography, whether taking snapshots on their phones or crafting rich landscapes with a professional flare. If you have a camera, you can photograph symbols, abstract images, and literal interpretations of people, places, and things regardless of your skill level. The process of creating images allows you to reflect on your emotions and to feel closer to your loved one's memory.

Do you have to be an experienced photographer to submit to PhotoGrief?

No, PhotoGrief is for everyone. If you have a camera and an ounce of creativity, then you can use photography to explore and express your grief.

How?

We have very few formal rules in the PhotoGrief project, but guidelines are helpful, so here they are...

1. Submissions should include an original photograph and separate text.
2. By submitting you agree to our terms of submission
3. Mainly for formatting purposes, text content may undergo minor edits prior to being published.
4. Photographs must be original (your own)
5. Pictures taken of text are allowed, but in general, we will not publish photographs with words and quotes typed directly on them.
6. Please send a brief reflection (approx. 250 - 1000 words) with your photo. You may use a quote or a poem if you provide the source.
7. Photographs must illustrate something about loss and grief. For example, consider the following prompts:
   • #WouldHaveLovedThis = My loved one would have loved this, and so I took a picture of it
   • Emotion = This is a representation of emotion I feel/have felt in my grief and healing
   • Gratitude = This is a photograph of something I feel/have felt grateful for in my grief and healing
   • Hope and Strength = This photograph inspires me to feel hope and Strength
   • Symbols = This object reminds me of my loved one or things I have felt in my grief and healing
   • You're Still Here = This is a reminder or representation of how my loved one is still present in my life and the world

Please email your photo and text to submit@whatsyourgrief.com

We will reach out to you via email to let you know if and when your submission is published. Please understand, we may not be able to publish all submissions on PhotoGrief.