You're right, but in English people sometimes use picture as photo ("here's a picture of me"), but in Portuguese they don't use "figura" like that, so in that case, the correct translation would be "foto". So I guess it can be an acceptable translation.

"Picture" can translate to: foto (photo), desenho (drawing), quadro (framed art), figura (as in a chart or illustration).

Figura is actually rarely used for a picture, at least in Rio and SP, except when talking about figurinha (stickers and collectible cards), and figura (slang for what you call someone who is amusing or funny). People tend to be very specific when describing the type of picture they are talking about.