Life can change in the blink of an eye. We never think something awful will happen to us, but it is just as plausible for a tragedy to happen to you or me as it is for it to happen to one of the thousands of people we pass everyday. The man in this image didn't know he was about to lose both of his legs that day, and that just adds to the devastation. When examined quickly, this picture, as well as any other picture, has an immediate impact. However, an entirely new image can be seen by scrutinizing the small details overlooked at first glance. It is these details that have the ability to tell a story, even without the presence of any words. Examining the visual elements that comprise a photograph can lead to a further understanding of the image that is not understood initially. 

Color is one of the most important aspects to look into when analyzing a visual text because of its ability to create specific moods. Bright colors such as yellow and orange are usually related with happiness, while black and grey tend to create feelings of unhappiness and fright. Colors can also be used to draw attention to certain areas of the visual. For example, in this picture, the eye is first drawn to the police officer because of his fluorescent jacket. The second color that yearns for attention is the vivid red present in the wound of the victim in the wheelchair. The photographer's inclusion of both the police officer as well as the victims mangled legs in the picture, allows for a much more influential image. If you were to cover the victim from the waist down, and take out the police officer entirely, the image loses that in your face quality it once possessed. Without the officer's jacket to attract the viewer and the deep red color of the flesh to show the pain the victim is suffering from, the image becomes lifeless and it is incapable of telling the story it seeks to explain. Color adds to this visual text, and its presence is crucial. Without it, it is easy for the viewer to feel lost, unknowing of where and what to look at. Like color, the lines as well as the contrast present in an image, have the ability to direct the reader's direction of sight. 

When looking at a visual text, the most important part of the image, usually needing the most scrutiny, is where your eye is first drawn. However, this isn't always the case and sometimes some of the most thought provoking aspects are the ones you have to eventually be guided towards as you scan the image. An example of this secondary guidance is seen through the lines and contrast. By scanning through the background, four diagonal lines pointing towards the top right section of the image are created by the side walk, the blue curtains, and the building roofs. These four lines come together and form an alley that directs your eye to the back of the image where there is a crowd of people. The attraction towards this alley is enhanced by the contrast created by the dark shades of the buildings coupled with the brightness of the white sky. The lines, in conjunction with the contrast, force your eye to examine deeper areas of the visual text after analyzing the main focal point. By drawing the eye away from the victim and towards the area in which the man was injured, it allows the viewer to gain further knowledge about what could have happened to him. If these lines and contrast weren't present, it would be much harder to force the eye away from the the victim. Although more is known about what happened to the man, there are still a lot of aspects open to further interpretation.  Two different elements that create more, but differentiating interpretations, are proximity and gaze.

When determining what is going on in an image or in our daily lives, how close we are to what is going on is a crucial factor in our ability to understand what is happening. If we are in close proximity, we are able to analyze what is happening because we can see every detail as it unfolds. However, if we are far from the event, our ability to determine what is happening is greatly diminished because of out inability to see everything, thus creating a sense of uncertainty. If we look at this picture, both levels of proximity are displayed. In the front of the image, it can clearly be seen that there is a man who just went through a traumatic experience and is being helped by people who were fortunate enough to avoid this event. Because of our close proximity we can see that the man in the cowboy hat is actually pinching closed an artery that was exposed from the incident, giving us even more detail into the extent of the man's injuries. Another important aspect that can be seen because of the close proximity, is the gaze of each person in this photograph. This is important to examine because sometimes we can see how the individual is feeling or where they want to go based on the intensity and or direction of their gaze. If we examine the gaze of the woman pushing the wheelchair and the man pinching the artery, it can be seen that they are both looking in the same direction. This could suggest that there is some form of help that way because the help they are providing is likely not enough to save the victims life so they are looking for more qualified individuals. The eye-line of the police officer is down towards the mans injuries possibly because he is in shock of what happened to this man. Lastly the most influential gaze is that of the victim which seems as if he is looking into nothing, possibly showing that he is in shock and doesn't know what is going on. Although these guesses are just that, we are able to understand the image to a greater degree by examining the outlet given to us. If we look past the gazes of the people in this photograph, towards the back of the image, a further level of uncertainty is created in this visual text. Our distance from what is going on makes us wonder why people are running towards the back of the image while others are leaving that area with brutal injuries. However, it does give us insight into where this man was hurt. Although images can have great levels of uncertainty, like this one, they also hold the ability to significantly effect people's lives by letting them experience a glimpse of an event they weren't able to experience in real time. 

Images of any kind are often seen as they appear on the surface. However, sometimes the most meaningful aspects are those that don't stand out right away. By analyzing the visual aspects that comprise an image, more information can be found and interpreted in relation to the main focal point. Like poems, pictures can be interpreted in many different ways, allowing them to be a mode of communication with such powerful expression. 

