I certainly agree as well on knowing where your weapon is pointed.

As for pictures, those can sometimes be misleading. I know i have taken some pictures where the muzzle was in a very safe position, but in the picture it appears to be pointed in an unsafe direction.

Bottom line, keep the gun pointed in a safe direction. If you think the gun in unloaded or if you have checked it and verified it is unloaded, treat it like it is loaded.