A mountain photograph rarely shows the ordinary meal that made the climb possible.

Pictures keep the summit and lose the porridge. What actually made the day possible was dull and repeatable: eating early, packing properly, sleeping badly and going anyway, the boots dried the night before. Achievements get photographed at their most dramatic moment, which is also the moment least useful to anyone trying to copy them. The ordinary parts carried the weight.

When you admire what someone has done, ask about their week rather than their peak. If you are working towards something yourself, protect the boring maintenance first. A photograph is a result and never a method.