How to ask about a family photo: six questions
Choose a photo and someone who would like to talk about it. These six questions help you listen to one particular story and keep clear notes. All you need is paper and a pencil; recording and publishing are optional.
Before you begin
Let the other person choose a photo they would enjoy talking about. It need not be old or show a special occasion. Agree on a quiet time; a short conversation can be enough to begin.
You could suggest: “Would you be happy for me to take notes for us to keep? We can just talk if you prefer.” Before recording or sharing, agree what will be kept and who may see or hear it. Any question can be skipped, and the conversation can stop at any time.
Write down who is speaking, who is listening, the conversation date and a simple photo identifier, such as “blue-door photo”. Today’s date is not the date the photo was taken.
1. What do you recognise in this photo?
Listen to their description first. Then, if needed, ask them to point to the person, place or object they mean. Note names and positions: “Elena, on the left”, rather than a name on its own.
2. What was happening when this photo was taken?
Look for one scene rather than a whole life story. If they mention “the move”, you could ask what they were doing that day. Allow time for a pause; avoid supplying the answer yourself.
3. What do you remember about that moment that the picture cannot show?
They might recall a conversation, a sound or something outside the frame. If they were not there, ask who told them about it. Keep that distinction: a personal memory and a story passed on by someone else have different sources.
4. When do you think this photo was taken?
An approximate date is fine. If they say “before we moved house”, write that down. Writing on the back may offer another clue; copy it separately, without automatically turning a clue into a confirmed date.
5. How did this photo reach you?
The answer might lead to an album, a copy sent by someone else or an inherited box. Note where it is kept now and who might know more, if the person wishes to include that information.
6. What would you like to pass on with this photo?
Let them choose what matters. It might be a custom, a phrase or the name of someone outside the frame. There is no need to find a moral or work through every question.
Three headings to keep the clues separate
Below the conversation details, add these headings to a sheet of paper. You do not need to transcribe every word. Use quotation marks only for exact words you have captured; otherwise, label your account as a summary.
- Visible in the photo: what you can point to in the image, without adding identities or dates that are not shown.
- Recalled by [name]: that person’s account, including their uncertainties and stories they heard from others.
- To check: open questions and possible sources, such as another print or a note in the album.
Invented example: the blue door
Conversation: Ana with Leo, 23 October 2026. Photo: blue door. Visible in the photo: three people beside an open door; one is carrying a basket.
Recalled by Ana — summary: she thinks it was around 1988, before she moved house; she remembers taking bread to a neighbour. To check: the year and the identity of the person on the right. Possible clue: look together at the album the print came from.
Do not turn “she thinks it was around 1988” into “1988”. This record keeps an account with its uncertainties; it does not establish everything that happened.
When you finish
Read the notes together and correct anything you have misunderstood. Note the agreed use, such as “just for the two of us”. Keep the sheet with an identified copy of the photo; if you made a recording, add its filename. Before sending anything to other people, check again what they want to share.
Download the family-photo note sheet
One blank A4 page for handwriting: conversation details, six questions, notes and clues to check. This is not a fillable PDF form. You can also copy the headings into a notebook. The sheet uses V for visible details, R for firsthand memories, T for stories told by someone else and ? for uncertainty; add names to R and T notes.
About this activity
Coru created the six-question sequence, note headings and example. They draw on archive and library guidance about listening, asking open questions and agreeing how an interview may be used. This short activity does not replace a formal oral history project.