Reading an iconic image: Oxford tire pile #1 by Edward Burtynsky

Above is an example of the work of Edward Burtynsky, his work demands attention due to the sheer scale of the the scenes he photographs. As opposed to other environmental photographers such as Chris Packham, Burtynsky's image does not scream conservation in a commercial way. The image does not point blame at the viewer nor does it try to chastise us. Instead you could say it follows a formula that has been mimicked by car advertisements over the last couple of decades.

In modern society, being as blatant as to say to the viewer "this is bad and it's your fault" will simply make the viewer turn away in anger so Ed Burtynsky has found a way to make things appear beautiful. Ed's images play on the beauty of the image firstly, which draw the viewer in and allow us to make judgements of our own accord.

This beauty within the image draws a parallel with what is traditionally known as the sublime within the subject of landscape photography. Burtynsky's images are often referred to as the industrial sublime and work around the idea that the physical environment is in an ever persistant power shift with man.

When I read the image in its basic form I believe it is also technically proficient, as you would expect from an iconic image. There is a leading line from the bottom left hand corner which leads the viewer into the centre of the image, following this line we are presented with a wall of tires that almost completely fill the right hand third of the image. At the top of the image we can see an isolated truck that looks abandoned and adds intrigue to the image. This intrigue mixed with basic composition techniques such as the rule of thirds make for a compelling photograph.