Serious. ominous. “Message image”.
These are some of the descriptions The latest official portrait of Donald Trump, shot by his chief photographer, Daniel Torok. In the photo, the newly elected president has a stern expression on his face, with tilted eyebrows.
“The official portrait of the president is the most printed, most seen image of the president ever,” former White House photographer Eric Draper told the BBC.
He worked for George W. Bush during his eight-year presidency, taking both of his official portraits.
Mr. Draper’s first impression of the Trump image was that it was “heavily manipulated” by both studio lighting and post-shooting retouching.
The photo appears to use “monstrous” lighting, he added, to dramatically illuminate the president-elect from below and make his eyes pop.
The lighting setup gives the image a “sinister” look often seen in horror films, said Eliska Sky, a portrait photographer at the London Institute of Photography. She compared the portrayal of Trump to a boxer before a fight.
Lighting “suggests seriousness and intent”, according to Paul Duerinckx, senior lecturer in documentary photography at Swansea College of Art.
This image is striking, he added, because the light source in most photos comes from above, such as the sun or ceiling lights, and the rotation of the source in this photo “tends to really have an effect on us.”
Many on social media compared the photo to a ‘mug shot’ of Donald Trump, taken at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia after he was accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss – a charge Trump denies.
Photography YouTuber Jared Polin said that he talked about the portrait with Mr. Toroko and was told that the image of the cup provided the inspiration.
“The photo of the mug was one of the most requested images, perhaps ever,” claimed Polin, Mr. Torok said. Mr Torok did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.
The shot of the mug, taken in 2023, has become part of American culture, adorning everything from coffee mugs to t-shirts.
The style of Trump’s new portrait departs from the look of his 2017 image, as well as past presidents, including George W. Bush.
“You definitely take photos to please the client, and in this case, I think that’s the kind of image they wanted to portray,” said Mr. Draper for the BBC.
He recalled sitting down with then-President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush to study a selection of images before they chose their favorite.
“The idea was to make it look like nice, comfortable lighting, to make it look like a professional portrait, with a nice expression because these photos will welcome people as they walk into their post office,” he said.
Andrew Parsons is a political photographer who has worked for four British Prime Ministers from David Cameron to Liz Truss, as well as Boris Johnson for 13 years.
“It’s a picture with a message, I’m delivering you a message,” he said of Trump’s photo. “It’s not like a genuine laugh, it’s a stern, hard, look straight down the barrel of the lens.”
In contrast, Mr. Parsons said the 2017 iteration is “the picture of Donald Trump the businessman.”
It’s hard to overstate the importance of political images like Trump’s, he said. “A picture can make or break a political campaign.”
