>>3073266not him, but photos that tell a story often have a human element that introduces a certain tension. shouldnt even have actual people, but ellicit an emotional response because of the elements at play. composition will make it stronger.
that short story "for sale: baby shoes, never worn" can teach a lot of how to make a picture tell a story in a succint way, because it reads as one reads a photo, on a flick, so it should be as striking and as precise and focused, it doesnt need to be bombastic or feature people crying to have an emotional effect in the reader/viewer. thats when, of course, you want to tell things or maybe compose poetically, some people do that naturally, some others just want to depict nice colors and shapes.