A two-headed cow is unusual. A bride in her wedding gown standing in a kitchen is a bit odd. The flawless detail in print from a large-format camera may define the peculiarity of a subject. It's a good word to use when thinking about photographs. What I found was that good photographers take good pictures because they take great pains to have good subjects in front of their cameras.
Good photographers anticipate their pictures.
What good picture editors do is help them. You want the photographer to follow his own instincts. You should, however, let the photographer climb upon your shoulders for a better view. That is, explain your thinking about the story. Talk about what might happen.