mug shots

Police intake portraits

Mug shots are photographs taken by police when someone is arrested, typically showing the face from the front and side.

The term comes from mug, slang for face.

Mug shots become public record and often surface in news coverage of arrests: His mug shot was all over the internet within hours.

Opposites
photographic formality and context

mug shotsportrait photography

Images focused on faces

snapshots · fashion photography · studio portraits · red carpet photos · magazine covers

subject agency and consent

mug shotsred carpet photos

Images from celebrity arrivals

wedding portraits · senior portraits · boudoir photography · self-portraits

subject's agency and presentation

mug shotsbeauty shots

Polished promotional images

publicity stills · magazine spreads · profile pictures · author photos

Family

mugshot, mugshots

Familiarity
Top 50,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Negative · Everyday, not technical · Rated PG