The best part about being in a relationship isn’t the companionship, the halving of life’s drudgeries, or even the sublime, vulnerable thrill of being known. It’s all about taking photos of them from horrific angles, preferably with poor lighting, and somehow liking them more when they look like a rapidly melting candle*.

Ryan Reynolds knows this truth, as evidenced by a suite of photos posted to his Instagram this morning in celebration of his wife Blake Lively‘s birthday.

In ten shots, the Deadpool actor celebrated The Shallows star’s 32 years on Earth. Only the first could be construed as a typically ‘nice’ photo. The rest range between ‘blurry’ to ‘nearly devoid of Lively’, as if Reynolds was a Bigfoot hunter sharing his finds on a closed Facebook group.

She looks like she’s in the process of being teleported 80 years into the past!

Ryan Reynolds Has Unleashed 10 Premium Piccies Of Blake Lively On Her B-Day
via @vancityreynolds / Instagram

She’s barely noticeable!

Ryan Reynolds Has Unleashed 10 Premium Piccies Of Blake Lively On Her B-Day
via @vancityreynolds / Instagram

She’s been hit by an invisible water balloon!

Ryan Reynolds Has Unleashed 10 Premium Piccies Of Blake Lively On Her B-Day
via @vancityreynolds / Instagram

All in all, this is good gear, and we thoroughly appreciate and uphold the right of anyone to mess with their beloved significant by posting a cavalcade of less-than-optimal photos.

Peep the whole set below:

View this post on Instagram

Happy Birthday, @blakelively.

A post shared by Ryan Reynolds (@vancityreynolds) on

*Blake Lively does not look like a melting candle, but you get me.

Image: @vancityreynolds / Instagram