How to Share Your South Carolina Photos and Stories
Submit your images and stories to Picture This
Picture This is South Carolina's community photo and storytelling platform where residents share images and narratives about places, events, and moments that matter to them across the state. You can submit photographs along with written descriptions, and your work may be featured in guides, social media, or other South Carolina resources. The platform welcomes both professional and amateur photographers, as well as writers describing local experiences.
Submissions are free and open year-round. There is no formal review period—the team considers contributions as they arrive. If your photo and story fit the guide's focus on South Carolina destinations, cultural events, dining, or recreational activities, it may be selected for publication.
Key Takeaways
- Picture This accepts photographs and written descriptions from anyone with a story about South Carolina places, events, or experiences.
- You retain ownership of your work; submission does not transfer copyright or require exclusivity.
- Include a clear photo, a description of 50 to 200 words, and details about the location, event, or subject so editors can verify and contextualize your submission.
- Submissions are reviewed on a rolling basis, and selected work may appear in guides, on social media, or in other South Carolina resources.
- The platform prioritizes authentic, specific stories tied to real South Carolina venues, attractions, and cultural moments rather than generic travel content.
What to include in your submission
A strong Picture This submission has three parts: the photograph itself, a written description, and identifying information about the subject. The photo should be clear, well-lit, and show the place, event, or activity you are describing. Avoid heavily filtered or heavily edited images unless the editing is essential to the story.
Your written description should be between 50 and 200 words. Explain what the photo shows, why it matters to you, and what a visitor or reader should know about the location or experience. If you are photographing a restaurant, describe a specific dish or the atmosphere. If you are capturing a cultural event, explain when it happens and why locals attend. If you are showing a natural area, mention what makes it worth visiting and what season works best.
Include the name and location of the subject—the restaurant name and city, the event name and date, the park or trail name and county. If the photo was taken at a specific venue or during a ticketed event, provide that detail. This information helps editors verify the submission and place it in the right guide.
How to send your work
Contact the South Carolina team directly with your submission. Include your name, email address, and phone number so they can reach you if they have questions or want to discuss your work further. Attach the photograph as a high-resolution image file (JPG or PNG) and paste your written description into the email or message.
If you are submitting multiple photos or stories, send them together in one message rather than separate submissions. This helps the team keep your work organized and makes it easier to consider your contributions as a group if they relate to the same location or event.
There is no deadline for submissions. The team reviews incoming work on a rolling basis and reaches out to contributors whose work is selected for publication. Response times vary depending on volume, but you should expect to hear back within a few weeks if your submission is being considered.
Rights and how your work will be used
When you submit a photograph or story to Picture This, you keep ownership of your work. Submission does not transfer copyright to South Carolina or require you to give up the right to use your photo or writing elsewhere. You are granting South Carolina permission to publish your work in guides, on social media, in email newsletters, and on the website.
If your work is selected, the team will credit you by name (or by a pen name if you prefer). They may edit your written description for length or clarity, but they will not change the meaning or intent of what you wrote. If they make significant changes, they will contact you first to discuss the edits.
Your submission may be paired with other photos or stories, used to illustrate a guide about a specific region or activity, or shared on social media to highlight South Carolina destinations. The platform does not pay contributors, but selected work reaches readers across the state and beyond who are planning trips, looking for dining recommendations, or exploring South Carolina culture.
What kinds of stories work best
Picture This prioritizes authentic, specific stories tied to real South Carolina places and experiences. The strongest submissions show a particular restaurant's signature dish, a local festival's unique traditions, a hiking trail's seasonal beauty, or a cultural venue's role in the community. Avoid generic travel photography or descriptions that could apply to any state.
Stories about hidden gems, family traditions, seasonal activities, and personal discoveries resonate well. If you have a photo of a beloved local restaurant, a community event you attend every year, a natural area where you spend time, or a cultural venue that matters to you, that is exactly the kind of submission Picture This seeks. Include details that only someone who has actually been there would know.
Submissions should focus on places and experiences open to the public or on events that residents and visitors can attend. Photos of private residences, private events, or restricted-access locations are not a fit for the platform.
Before you submit: a checklist
Review your photo for clarity and lighting. Make sure the subject is recognizable and the image is in focus. Check that your written description answers these questions: What is shown in the photo? Where is it located? When is it open or when does it happen? Why should someone visit or experience it? What makes it special or worth knowing about?
Verify the spelling of the venue name, city, and county. If you are writing about an event, confirm the date or season it takes place. If you are describing a restaurant, make sure the dish or menu item you mention is currently offered. Accurate details help editors place your work in the right guide and give readers confidence in the information.
Make sure you have the right to publish the photo. If someone else took the photograph, you will need their permission to submit it. If the photo includes recognizable people other than yourself, it is courteous to let them know you are submitting it, though formal permission is not required for public spaces or events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to be a professional photographer to submit?
No. Picture This welcomes photographs from anyone—professionals, hobbyists, and casual photographers. The focus is on authentic stories about South Carolina places and experiences, not on technical perfection. A clear, well-lit photo that shows what you are describing is what matters.
Can I submit a photo someone else took?
Only if you have their permission. You will need to confirm in writing that the photographer has given you the right to submit their work. It is simplest to ask the photographer to submit directly, so they retain credit and control over how their work is used.
What if my submission is not selected?
The team receives many submissions and can only feature a portion of them. If your work is not selected, it does not mean it is not good—it may not fit the current focus of a guide, or similar content may already be in the queue. You are welcome to submit again with different photos or stories.
Can I submit the same photo to other websites or publications?
Yes. Submitting to Picture This does not prevent you from publishing the same photo elsewhere. You are only granting South Carolina permission to use it; you are not giving up the right to use it yourself or share it with other outlets.
How long does it take to hear back about my submission?
Response times vary depending on how many submissions the team is reviewing. You should expect to hear back within a few weeks if your work is being considered for publication. If you do not hear back after a month, you can follow up with a brief email to check on the status.