Serious. Ominous. A “message picture”.

These are some descriptions Donald Trump’s latest official portrait, Photographed by his chief photographer Daniel Torok. In the photo, the president-elect looks serious and has his eyebrows raised.

Former White House photographer Eric Draper told the BBC that “the official portrait of the president is the most printed and most viewed photograph of a president ever.”

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

Draper’s first impression of Trump’s image was that the studio lighting and retouching after the shoot had been “heavily manipulated.”

He added that the photo appeared to use “monster” lighting, which dramatically illuminated the president-elect from below, making his eyes wide open.

Eliska Sky, a portrait photographer at the London School of Photography, said the lighting setup gave the images an “ominous” look often seen in horror movies. She likened Trump’s image to that of a boxer before a match.

Paul Duerinckx, senior documentary photography lecturer at Swansea College of Art, said the lighting “suggests seriousness and intention”.

He added that the photo was striking because the light source in most photos comes from above, such as the sun or ceiling lights, and flipping the light source in this photo “tends to have a real impact on us.”

Many on social media compared the photo to a “mug shot” of Donald Trump taken at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia, where he was accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat, but Trump Pugh denied the allegation.

YouTube photography blogger Jared Polin said that he portrait discussed with Mr. Torok and was told that the photo did provide inspiration.

Pollin claimed Mr Torok said: “This mugshot is probably one of the most searched images.” Mr Torok did not respond to the BBC’s request for comment.

The mug shot, taken in 2023, has become part of American culture, adorning everything from coffee mugs to T-shirts.

The style of Trump’s new portrait differs from his 2017 image and that of previous presidents, including George W. Bush.

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

He recalled then-President Bush and first lady Laura Bush sitting down and poring over a series of photos before picking his favorites.

“The idea is to make it look like a nice, pleasant light, make it look like a professional portrait with a nice expression, because those are the photos that will be welcomed when people walk into the post office,” he said.

Andrew Parsons is a political photographer who has photographed four British Prime Ministers, from David Cameron to Liz Truss, as well as Boris Johnson Boris Johnson for 13 years.

“This is a message photo, I’m sending you a message,” he said of Trump’s photo. “It wasn’t like a candid smile, it was a stern, stern, straight-to-the-camera look.”

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

He said the importance of a political image like Trump’s cannot be overstated. “One photo can make or break a political campaign.”