Confusing photo of Bidens meeting Carters baffles social media: ‘It looks fake, but it’s 100 per cent real’

‘I’ve been staring at this photo for three hours’

The Carter Centre released an image of the former president Jimmy Carter and former first lady, Rosalynn Carter, alongside Joe Biden and Dr Jill Biden (The Carter Centre)

An amiable photo of President Joe Biden and former president Jimmy Carter has gone viral on social media after the unusual proportions of the photo left social media users baffled.

The Carter Centre released an image of Mr Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter alongside Mr Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden on its Twitter on Monday.

“We’re pleased to share this wonderful photo from the @POTUS and @FLOTUS visit to see the Carters in Plains, Ga,” the organisation said in a caption alongside the image.

The photo showed the Biden’s kneeling alongside the Carters, with both couples smiling. But some users noticed that something about the proportions of the picture seemed off.

People were quick to point out that the Bidens appeared unusually larger than the Carters, with some speculating the difference was the result of a wide-angle camera lens.

One user said that the proportions in the photo were “mind-bending” while others questioned why the Carters appeared to be “miniatures”.

Some critics hit out at the photo, saying the strange angle detracted from the moment being captured.

“They are amazing wonderful people. The proportions here are off somehow. Who else agrees?!,” one person said.

“Who is the photographer??!,” one person asked, adding: “What the heck lens did he use and why?”

One person said they “couldn’t stop looking” at the picture in an attempt to figure out what was going on, adding in disbelief that while it “looks fake” but is “100 per cent real”.

“The Biden’s look like they are both seven ft tall or the Carter’s are three feet tall. Odd,” another person commented.

Certain users made lighthearted references to The Hobbit, asking if the photograph had been taken in “the shire”.

“It was nice of the Biden’s to visit the Shire and say hello to the Carter’s hopefully the One ring is still safe,” one user joked.

Those with knowledge of photography suggested that the uncanny perspective of the image may have come about due to the room being small and the use of a wide-angle lens.

“The choice of lens was correct, but someone should’ve fixed the distortion in photoshop before releasing it,” a person said, before adding an example of a retouched version of the picture.

Jonathan Alter, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, A Life, told The Washington Post that the Carters are not in fact “tiny people” but come in at “the medium to smaller size among presidents and first ladies” at 5′5″ and 5′10″.