def encode_image(image_path):
    """Encode the image to base64."""
    try:
        with open(image_path, "rb") as image_file:
            return base64.b64encode(image_file.read()).decode('utf-8')
    except FileNotFoundError:
        print(f"Error: The file {image_path} was not found.")
        return None
    except Exception as e:  # Added general exception handling
        print(f"Error: {e}")
        return None