I’ve done some online training for documentary family photography that suggests identifying a muse once you arrive for a session. This doesn’t mean that you only photograph this person, but the idea is that most of the interesting things happen around the muse. If you keep your eye on the muse and what they’re doing, you’ll end up with better storytelling photos for everyone.

I sometimes do this, but what’s even more helpful to me is latching onto certain word themes that come up repeatedly when I’m chatting with a client. If it keeps coming up, there’s a deeper story happening here. They’re no longer just words, but symbols for something deeply meaningful to this family.