Decoding of the new official portrait of Donald Trump

serious. Ominous. “Message Image”.

Here are some of the descriptions The latest official portrait of Donald Trump, photographed by his chief photographer, Daniel Torak. In the photo, the president-elect has a stern expression, raised eyebrows.

“The official portrait of the president is the most printed image of the president ever seen,” former White House photographer Eric Draper told the BBC.

He worked for George W. Bush during his eight years as president, taking both of his official portraits.

Mr. Draper’s first impression of the Trump image was that it had been “heavily manipulated” by both studio lighting and post-shoot retouching.

The photo appeared to use “monster” 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 image of Trump to a boxer before a fight.

According to Paul Duerink, senior lecturer in documentary photography at Swansea College of Art, lighting “assumes seriousness and intent”.

This image is impressive, he added, because the light source in most photos comes from above, like the sun or the ceiling, and the reversal of the source in this photo “tends to really affect us.”

Many on social media have compared the photo to Donald Trump’s “mug shot” taken at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia after he was accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat, a charge Trump denies.

Photo YouTuber Jared Pollin said he discussed the portrait with Mr. Torak and was told that the mug shot did provide the inspiration.

“The mug photo was one of the most searched images, possibly ever,” Pauline said, Mr. Torak said. Mr Torak did not respond to a BBC request for comment.

The mugshot, taken in 2023, has become a part of US culture, adorning everything from coffee cups to t-shirts.

The style of Trump’s new portrait is a departure from his 2017 look and that of past presidents, including George W. Bush.

“You certainly take pictures to please the client and in this case I think that’s the image they wanted to portray,” Mr Draper told the BBC.

He recalled sitting down with then-President Bush and First Lady Laura Bush to go over a selection of images before they chose their favorite.

“The idea was to make it look like nice, nice lighting, make it look like a professional portrait with a nice facial expression, because those photos are going to greet people when they walk into the 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.

“This photo is a message, I’m giving you a message,” he said of Trump’s photo. “It’s not like a hearty laugh, it’s a stern, hard, look straight down the barrel of the lens.”

By contrast, Mr Parsons said the 2017 iteration was “a picture of Donald Trump the businessman”.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of political icons like Trump, he said. “A picture can make or break a political campaign.”