Decoding Donald Trump's new official portrait

Serious. Ominous. A "message picture".

Those are immoderate of the descriptions of Donald Trump's newest authoritative portrait, captured by his main photographer, Daniel Torok. In the photo, the president-elect wears a stern expression, eyes cocked.

"The authoritative representation of the president is the astir printed, astir seen representation of the president, ever," erstwhile White House lensman Eric Draper told the BBC.

He worked for George W Bush passim his eight-year presidency, taking some of his authoritative portraits.

Mr Draper's archetypal content of Trump's representation was that it was "heavily manipulated" with some workplace lighting and retouching aft the shoot.

The photograph appeared to usage "monster" lighting, helium added, to dramatically illuminate the president-elect from beneath and marque his eyes pop.

The lighting setup gives the representation an "ominous" look often seen successful fearfulness films, said Eliska Sky, a representation lensman with the London Institute of Photography. She compared the portrayal of Trump to a boxer earlier a fight.

The lighting "suggests seriousness and intent", according to Paul Duerinckx, a elder documentary photography lecturer astatine the Swansea College of Art.

This representation is striking, helium added, due to the fact that the airy root successful astir photos comes from above, similar the prima oregon ceiling lights, and flipping the root successful this photograph "tends to truly person an effect connected us".

Many connected societal media compared the photograph to Donald Trump's 'mug shot', taken successful Fulton County Jail successful Georgia aft helium was charged with attempting to overturn his 2020 predetermination nonaccomplishment - a complaint Trump denies.

Photography YouTuber Jared Polin said that helium discussed the portrait with Mr Torok and was told the mug changeable did supply inspiration.

"The mug changeable photograph was 1 of the astir searched images, possibly ever," Polin claims Mr Torok said. Mr Torok did not respond to the BBC's petition for comment.

The mug shot, taken successful 2023, became portion of US culture, adorning everything from java cups to T-shirts.

The benignant of Trump's caller representation is simply a departure from the look of his 2017 image, and that of past presidents, including George W Bush.

"You decidedly marque photos to delight the client, and successful this case, I deliberation this is the benignant of representation they wanted to portray," Mr Draper told the BBC.

He recalled sitting down with then-President Bush and archetypal woman Laura Bush to pore implicit a enactment of images earlier they picked their favourite.

"The thought was to person it look similar nice, pleasant lighting, person it look similar a nonrecreational portrait, with a bully look due to the fact that these photos are going to beryllium welcoming radical arsenic they locomotion into their station office," helium said.

Andrew Parsons is simply a governmental lensman who worked for 4 British premier ministers from David Cameron to Liz Truss, arsenic good arsenic Boris Johnson for 13 years.

"It's a connection picture, I'm delivering you a message," helium said of Trump's photo. "It's not similar a candid laugh, it's a stern, hard, look consecutive down the tube of the lens."

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

It's hard to overstate the value of governmental images similar Trump's, helium said. "A representation tin marque oregon interruption a governmental campaign."