Mette Frederiksen and the ambiguous portrait
In 2022, I followed Mette Frederiksen as a photographer during the election campaign. It was four weeks of high intensity, a new sea of people in every city, and, not least, quick decisions. Among the many thousands of exposures is a picture from Kolding, which I was interviewed about by the trade magazine Journalisten.
The photo captures the moment when we step out of the campaign bus in Kolding late in the afternoon. There were people everywhere and a little bit of chaos. These are not ideal conditions for a photo, but technically I am happy with the picture; it has energy and documents the situation exactly as it felt. However, the picture was not used on social media or the other channels where my pictures usually ended up.
See more press and reportage photos here:
Why strategic communication requires clarity
When working with visual communication for large organizations or political parties, the criteria for success are determined in advance. It is crucial to understand that the images serve a specific purpose—no more, no less. This places demands on the format and expression, for example.
Limitation of the format: The image was horizontal. At a time when social media dictates vertical formats, this significantly limits the possible uses.
Ambiguity in expression: However, the key factor in the rejection was Mette Frederiksen's facial expression. It was difficult to read quickly. In a political context – or in business – there must be no doubt about the sender's intention.
Eliminating doubt in the recipient
As I mention in the interview with Journalisten, she is not standing there waving gracefully. She has the crowd behind her and is moving on. Her expression can be interpreted in several ways, and that is precisely where the problem arises: if the recipient needs more than a split second to decode whether the message is positive, decisive, or pressured, communication is weakened.
This is the core of my work as a visual consultant. It's about removing that doubt.
From reportage to strategic portraits
I bring the experience from the campaign bus into my work with employee portraits and corporate photography. Here, the task is the same: to ensure that the recipient encounters a face and an expression that supports the company's authority and values without noise or ambiguity.
A good portrait is not just a picture that looks professional. It is a picture where a decision has been made about what the viewer should feel and understand immediately.
Read the entire interview and see the analysis of the photo at Journalisten here: