Cook 1
Dina Cook
Jennifer Courtney
English 2010
September 26, 2008
How does this picture effect the way you feel?
Fourth Street Clinic in Salt Lake City, Utah provides free heath care for homeless citizens and families in hopes of breaking the cycle poor medical care for this population. In 2006 the Fourth Street Clinic served more than 5,600 homeless patients with 24,000 office visits. To qualify for care, persons must be living on the street, in a shelter, a treatment or halfway house, with friends or family but not paying rent or exiting jail or prison. The idea behind this clinic is to offer medical assistance to those who have no alternative resources. To keep their doors open, the clinic relies on donations and volunteers.
There is a picture on the Fourth Street Clinic website home page of a white middle aged female holding two African American children. On one arm is a young baby boy, around the age of 1, the other arm being occupied by what could be assumed to be the young boy’s older sister around the age of 4 or 5. The woman has her arms around both children in a tight grip holding them both close to her body. The woman has a big smile on her face, as do the children. The younger child holds what looks like a medical instrument in his mouth, while the young girl wraps her arms around the woman’s neck. It appears the picture was taken in a patient room in the clinic. There are medical instruments hanging from a wall painted a blue gray color. The woman looks like she might be standing under a light because the top of her head and forehead are glowing. The woman is centered and the focus of attention is the children. The woman is holding the one child above eye level and one child at her eye level, giving a sense of equality among them. 
The color of the children’s skin pops out against the background of the woman’s pale skin. The lines in the picture are all vertical. There are no sharp lines or angles that would draw attention away from the three faces in the picture. The picture is cropped so that the three of them take up most of the photograph leaving nothing else to draw the attention away from them.
The text on the home page is fairly simple as well. The information provides little insight into this being a non-profit organization dedicated to providing medical care to homeless people in need. There are large boxes that say "Donate" and "Volunteer" - the two staples that keep this organization running. The picture comes to me and makes me think about donating and volunteering my time to help families and children similar to the two children the picture. These two young children may have needed help and I am sure there are others like them. The woman in the picture could be and most likely is a volunteer. She looks happy to be there and looks like she cares about the work she is doing. She has a tight hold on these two kids that shows me that children feel safe. I would think that working at a clinic for the homeless could be scary, but the picture depicts a very different working environment. This just shows how important it is to choose a good picture to represent the message you want to give.
Pictures influence the reader in ways that are not always obvious. Things as subtle as line, colors, shapes and facial expressions can have a profound psychological effect on the reader.
Work Cited
Ronald McDonald House Charities 2008, 08 Sep. <www.rmhslc.org/>
