A photograph of US President Jo Biden and first lady Jill Biden has sparked a hilarious response on social media as users ask what is “off” about the image.
The Bidens were snapped with former president Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter while visiting the couple in Plains, Georgia on Tuesday.
The Carter Centre posted the photo to social media, describing it as “wonderful”, but critics were quick to point out that something about it just wasn’t quite right.
“We’re pleased to share this wonderful photo from the @POTUS and @FLOTUS visit to see the Carters in Plains, Ga.!” the centre wrote on Twitter.
Tweet from @pennyLane4earth
Alongside the Bidens, the Carters appear to look petite in stature, with one Twitter user pointing out the unintentional effect.
“Why do the Carters look like miniatures?! They are amazing wonderful people. The proportions here are off somehow,” @pennyLane4earth wrote.
Before you admonish us, while it might be possible that age plays a role in the Carters smaller size, it’s unlikely the sands of time could shrink them both to this extent.
It’s more likely that in an attempt to capture the entire scene while allowing the elderly couple to remain seated, the photographer has used a wide-angle lens.
But because they are shooting from quite close to their subjects, the armchairs end up looking like they’ve been plucked from a doll’s house, and the Biden’s appear almost three times the size of the Carters.
Freelance photographer Marlena Sloss confirmed to the Washington Post a strong flash and a wide-angle lens were the likely culprits.
“Although President Biden is kneeling much farther in front of Rosalynn Carter, the flash reduces shadows, a key part of what allows objects to have depth. The resulting effect is that Biden and Rosalynn Carter appear to be side-by-side on the same plane,” Sloss said.
Thus, what could have been a heartwarming photo-op for POTUS and FLOTUS past and present turned out an odd result.
And the Twitter-verse was quick to jump at the chance to poke some fun.
Twitter user @DeonardoLeVinci made this attempt at correcting the unfortunate image, replying with a doctored photo of the foursome.
“There. I fixed it,” wrote Twitter user @DeonardoLeVinci.
Another user replied to the Carter Centre’s tweet, revealing she had voted for Biden partly because of his policies, but also “because he and Jill are giants who will crush you if you make them angry”.
Others assumed the photo was accurate, with one suggesting the very little Carters might have served the Bidens some very little beverages.
Tweet from @NcFortwiter
