Photography expert reveals if Gary Barlow's son really is that tall

Photography experts have revealed whether Gary Barlow's son really is that tall... or if his immense height could be an optical illusion.

A loving family snap posted by the Take That singer spread like wildfire across social media after fans spotted Daniel Barlow, 24, was towering over his famous father.

The Greatest Day hitmaker, 53 - who throughout his career has reportedly raked in a whopping £90million fortune - barely reaches his son's shoulder in the wholesome photo, which Gary originally posted to mark Father's Day in June 2023. 

And delighted fans have now turned the wholesome snap into a flurry of jokes and 'memes', despite him reportedly standing at just over six foot - which is said to be only a few inches taller than Gary himself.

Now photography experts have cast doubt on whether the young Barlow is just as tall as people believe - and say the comical photo could be an 'optical illusion'.

Photographer and photo editor Steven Davies suggested that the contrasting heights could be exaggerated by where the camera was placed.

He told MailOnline: 'It appears that Gary's son is positioned slightly in front of him, while also leaning back slightly to embrace him. 

'This positioning, combined with the angle of the lens, creates an optical illusion that exaggerates his size - especially his feet - making him appear larger than he actually is. 

'While Gary's son is indeed taller than him, the perspective makes the difference seem greater than it truly is.'

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Although the Daniel Barlow looks massive, in reality he is only a few inches taller than the average British man.

The average height for a man in the UK is 5'9, and 5'3 for a woman. Daniel, who is pursuing a career in medicine, is reported to stand at an impressive 6'2, but seems taller next to his father. Yet in reality, Barlow is only a few inches shorter than average at 5'7.

Photographer James Bradford said that he would not question the image if he was shown it - and the young man may simply be that tall.

He explained: 'It is weird - I wonder if it has been somewhat distorted by a wide angle lens on the phone and the angle has stretched him.

'But even that, it seems rather dramatic. If I looked at it I wouldn't think twice - I'd just think he is a very large son!'

Award winning photographer and cinematographer Stephan Coetzee was baffled by the image..

He said: 'The copy of the image is potato quality. I do question it.'

'I feel like he is hover-handing his own father and the interaction of the father's shoulder with his shirt is a bit odd. It's the connection of the father's shirt to his and the lack of shadow going on there.

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The former Take That star - who has three children with his wife of 25 years Dawn Andrews - tends to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.

The father-and-son duo had their arms around each other in the picture, posted shortly after Barlow celebrated his son's achievement completing the Ironman competition, which saw him tackle a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride, and 26.2 mile run.

He wrote: 'We just couldn't be prouder of our boy - unbelievable amounts of training and determination - when you put in the work you get the results. Congratulations #ironman.'

But the photo went viral, with many commenting 'Gary Barhigh' below.

Memes compared the picture to a scene in the Christmas movie Elf, where human-sized Buddy struggles to fit in at the North Pole because everything is too tiny for him.

Another captioned 'Gary Barlow's son looking at all these memes about him on Twitter' above a picture of a tiny model of a phone.

It was held in a hand which looks huge in comparison.

Another read: 'Gary Barlow asking his son for a cuddle before bed', showing the Take That star on stage with his arms spread wide above him.

Others posted photos of the celebrity with items which could be seen as clothing - such as a check pattern wall - captioned: 'Gary Barlow standing in front of his son's new cardigan.'

References were also made to how 6'2 Donald Trump's son Barron - who is 18-years-old - also towers over him at an impressive height of 6'7.

Back in 2022, the singer shared another rare snap of his towering son for his 22nd birthday.

He wrote: 'Happy 22nd Birthday to our Dan. We love you mate and you make us so proud every day'.

He has his arm around Daniel's waist, with his head barely above his shoulder.

Barlow shares his three children with wife Dawn, a backup dancer who was on tour with Take That in 1995 and who he married in 2000.