Photographers React to Donald Trump’s ‘Wildly Edited’ Official Portrait
The official portraits of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have been released and photographers have been reacting to Daniel Torok’s work.
Torok is President Trump’s chief photographer, and his portrait of the 47th president immediately got people talking about the photographer’s use of light.
Over on the r/photography sub-Reddit, shooters discussed whether the photos were overexposed. One photographer comments that they thought the photos are “wildly edited” instead of professionally lit.
Indeed, Torok tells photography YouTuber Jared Polin that it was his first time ever using studio lighting before. Taking the official portrait of the President of the United States is some job to be using studio lights for the first time.
Torok tells Polin that he used Profoto lights: one at the front, two on the shoulder, and one underneath Trump’s eye line which explains the unusual look of the president’s portrait which Polin describes as “kind of maniacal.”
“That is a very interesting choice of lighting,” adds Polin. Torok also reveals that he made “hundreds” of edits to the photos.
Trump’s Glare
On Torok’s Instagram page, one film director asks him who directed Trump’s “super villain stare.” To which the photographer explains that he took “an entire series of images and range of emotions” and the published one was everybody’s favorite. Torok reveals that ultimately it is the president who makes the final call.
Trump’s facial expression in the photo has been likened to the same one he wore on his mug shot photo taken at Fulton County Jail in Atlanta when he was charged with 13 counts, including racketeering.
Torok tells Polin that Trump’s mug shot directly inspired his official portrait, calling the latter “one of the most searched images, maybe ever.”
The BBC compares Trump’s countenance to the work of 17th-century Italian Baroque artist Salvator Rosa, specifically his self-portrait Philosophy.
