getting content above loop

Hello all. I have content (placeholder images for the time being) that I want above my content loop. I place the image tage right above the loop tage, but it doesn’t show on the index page. If you click in the first (and only) post yo see the image right above the content, but it doesn’t do this on the index page. Any ideas on why that happens? Also I want only the posts section to move down to make room for the new content, not the posts column, and the sidebars. How do I do that? Thanks in advanced!