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2. But he’s still in charge here.



It’s not by coincidence that Mr. Harper is the only man with something to drink, said Mark Bowden, a human behaviour expert and president of TRUTHPLANE communications in Toronto. “It says ‘I’ve got the resource’… He looks like the person who is in charge now, dressed for business, giving everybody a good time and giving them a lift over there and sharing stories as prime ministers.” The lighter tone conveyed in the photos is also in step with the celebratory mood in South Africa — and it’s important for a leader to be in tune with others. “Harper needs to be seen in the context of the photos as part of that group, not a political outsider,” he said. “There needs to be a sense of Canada going.” Adds Donna McCarthy of Dory Ads in Halifax, “To me, it feels natural,” she said. “If they were all dressed in black, it would feel contrived.”

3. Powerful people get the aisle seats.



In the context of these photos, it makes a big difference, says Mr. Bowden. The two Conservatives with the greatest stake have assumed the “power” positions, he said — Mr. Mulroney, because he had a leadership role in the anti-apartheid movement, and Mr. Harper, as current leader of the government, who invited them aboard his plane. Sitting in the outside seats, they appear bigger and thus more important than the others. It also squares focus on Mr. Harper, rather than, say, Mr. Chrétien, who has the bigger personality of the two, he said. “The character of Chrétien has been built up at quite an international level. He would be a hard one to play against,” Mr. Bowden said. “This makes Mr. Harper look big, and that’s very good for Harper.”