This is a real photo, not an illusion. The angle of the photo and the placement of the planes in the air make it seem as if they are touching, when in fact they are separated by a safe distance. Perception is everything.
Sorry, but the only way they are even a remotely comfortable distance is if the sizes are drastically different, which is not likely considering that the closer aircraft is STILL smaller in appearance. Look at the tail fins: even if the closer plane has a smaller tail fin, if the distance apart did not more than make up that size difference in the shot, then the large Airbus A380 must be an order of magnitude larger to have any significant space (yes, I am aware that the further away plane is huge A380 with double decks, but it's not an "order of magnitude" larger). I would say that anything more than four plane widths violates the spirit of the caption and that is almost certainly less.
Also, the FAA requires 1,000 feet in altitude and three miles in distance between aircraft. Leave that up to the Blue Angels and the airshow stunt pilots.