A great photo can hide a terrible day, and a bad photo can hide a great one.

An image records a fraction of a second and says nothing about the hours on either side. The picture from the worst week of someone’s life can be the one where everyone is laughing, because the camera came out during the good ten minutes. You are comparing a whole day of yours against one survived instant of theirs.

When a picture of someone else’s life lands badly, remember what was happening around your own best photo. Ask the person how they are, in a way that allows an honest answer. And take a few pictures on ordinary days, so your own record has some ground in it.