diff --git a/images/sample-photo.jpg b/images/sample-photo.jpg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7ad15c
Binary files /dev/null and b/images/sample-photo.jpg differ
diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index a59b4b6..322625f 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@
 
             <article class="post post-photo">
                 <div class="post-image">
-                    <img src="https://via.placeholder.com/800x400/f8f9fa/6c757d?text=Photography+Sample" alt="Sample photograph" />
+                    <img src="images/sample-photo.jpg" alt="Sample photograph from my collection" />
                 </div>
                 <div class="post-header">
                     <h2 class="post-title"><a href="#">Evening Light</a></h2>
diff --git a/posts/welcome.html b/posts/welcome.html
index 813abc5..7c26f0c 100644
--- a/posts/welcome.html
+++ b/posts/welcome.html
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@
             </header>
 
             <div class="post-content">
+                <figure class="post-image">
+                    <img src="../images/sample-photo.jpg" alt="Sample photo from my blog" />
+                    <figcaption>A glimpse into the visual stories I'll be sharing</figcaption>
+                </figure>
+
                 <p>Welcome to my personal blog! This is my first post, and I'm excited to begin this journey of sharing my thoughts, experiences, and ideas with you.</p>
                 
                 <p>Starting a blog has been something I've been thinking about for a while. There's something magical about putting thoughts into words and sharing them with the world. Whether you're here by accident or intention, I'm glad you stopped by.</p>
diff --git a/style.css b/style.css
index 2f3ff2e..a65ddb4 100644
--- a/style.css
+++ b/style.css
@@ -203,6 +203,34 @@ a:hover {
     transform: scale(1.02);
 }
 
+/* Figure elements for blog posts */
+figure.post-image {
+    margin: 2rem 0;
+    text-align: center;
+}
+
+figure.post-image img {
+    width: 100%;
+    height: auto;
+    display: block;
+    border-radius: 8px;
+    box-shadow: 0 4px 20px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.08);
+    transition: transform 0.3s ease, box-shadow 0.3s ease;
+}
+
+figure.post-image:hover img {
+    transform: scale(1.02);
+    box-shadow: 0 8px 30px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.12);
+}
+
+figure.post-image figcaption {
+    margin-top: 0.75rem;
+    font-size: 0.875rem;
+    color: #666;
+    font-style: italic;
+    line-height: 1.4;
+}
+
 /* Short Posts */
 .post-short .post-content {
     font-size: 1.125rem;