Seeing things in a different light

Jill Greenberg is a talented, if somewhat controversial photographer from Canada, who gained some some media attention recently for some photos she took of John McCain. The Atlantic hired her to deliver a shot that made him look heroic, which she delivered. But it was what she did after this that caused the uproar - shooting a number of extra shots, lit from beneath, causing McCain to cast an ominous shadow and resulting in a rather sinister looking image. Ignoring the ethical questions raised by her actions, what is the importance of these images?
Since Richard Nixon lost the 1960 election to JFK due, in part, to his appearance on TV sporting a five o'clock shadow, image and perception has been an integral part of elections world-wide. McCain has chosen Sarah Palin as his running-mate, a move that appears to be paying dividends for him. In choosing not only a woman, but an attractive woman, he has changed the perception of his bid. Despite the fact that he's been in Washington for 26 years he gives the impression that, like Obama, he stands for change in the White House. No doubt it helps that having a woman as a running mate is also a handy excuse for white Americans not to vote for an educated man of African-American descent - a thoroughly terrifying prospect for many.
Greenberg's photo brings in to stark relief the very things that McCain is trying to draw attention away from with his choice of Palin. Namely that he is an old white man. I think Greenberg has very much over-played her hand, but somehow I don't think she's particularly worried. That takes us into the rather complex question of whether ends can ever justify means, but I'll have to leave that for another time (although for the record I think she's overstepped the mark).