Landscape Photography, Art by Joseph Westrupp· Page 5 of 6

Occidental Jetty, River Thames

Occidental Jetty over the Thames, Canvey Island, England. Green monochrome art photo by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Pier-Shaped.

Taken at Canvey Island, England. The water beneath the bridge is the River Thames, not the sea as it appears, although it’s close enough to the ocean at this point to be affected by tides.

Factory and Buildings on the River Thames

Art photograph of an old factory beside the River Thames, London, by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Bleak Industry.

Taken from the bank of the River Thames, London.

My aim with this photo was to convey a taste of the Gothic, atmospheric side of London that I love. It was from when I thought it would be a good idea to, over a period of weeks, walk both sides of the Thames looking for photo opportunities. The actual yield of usable images was smile-shatteringly low. On the bright side, it was still a nice thing to do in my new home country, and I have a better knowledge of my surroundings because of it.

Hadleigh Castle Ruins, Essex

Art photograph of Hadleigh Castle, England, by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Hadleigh Castle.

Photo taken at Hadleigh Castle, Essex, England.

A small distance off the north bank of the Thames, there’s not much left of this once substantial castle. I sat on this project for a while trying to work out how to add something to this well-covered subject. After a few frustrating attempts, and giving it up a few times, I produced this, a kind of super-sepia take. It’s a tricky composition, but I like how the castle, tree, rocks, and clouds fit together.

Superstition Mountains, Arizona

Title: Superstition.

Photograph taken in Arizona. Those are the Superstition Mountains in the background.

The unique landscape of America’s desert is rich with photographic opportunities, not to mention it’s a great mode of holiday (for my tastes).

Gothic Tower of London

Art photograph of a man descending stairs at the Tower of London, by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: In Pursuit of the Devil on the Stairs.

This photo was taken at the Tower of London. The original shot was quite innocent and light. My goal in processing was to add some Victorian Gothic charm, and imbue it with a sinister narrative befitting the place. So it’s had a lot of tonal adjustment.

Apologies to the rather benign, middle-aged man on the stairs for the vilifying portrayal. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

View Toward Paekakariki, New Zealand

Art photo of hills, road, and sea, in Paekakariki, New Zealand. By Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Paekakariki.

This photo was taken at Paekakariki, New Zealand.

I took it on one of the occasions when I was itching to take photos with my new camera, but couldn’t think of a good subject. So I jumped on my motorcycle, and rode with the hope of seeing something interesting on my travels. Missions like that are hit or miss, but in this case I got a few usable images, plus a hell of a ride through the extremely twisty road on the way there.

The other picture I developed is Paekakariki Hill Road.

Paekakariki Hill Road, New Zealand

Paekakariki Hill Road in New Zealand, with faded colors and surreal blue sky. Art photo by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Paekakariki Hill Road.

This photo was taken on the Paekakariki Hill Road in New Zealand (which the astute may have already gleaned from the title).

It’s from the same motorbike trip as Paekakariki, I think the exact same spot but facing the opposite way. It’s been years since I took it, which is why I’m not 100% clear on the details.

Tower of London Cannon

Art photograph of a cannon at the Tower of London, by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Defending London.

Taken at the Tower of London on my first visit to England.

Being from a much younger country, I was constantly impressed by the beautiful ancient buildings like the Tower of London (and still am, actually. That’s one of the joys of the UK). I happened to catch this interesting perspective when I glanced over the edge of a parapet. I like the juxtaposition of the casual sitters on the bench beneath what was presumably once a working tool of defensive destruction.

Coast Road Hills, Wainuiomata

Art photograph of fields, hills, and sky in Wainuiomata, New Zealand. By Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Wainui Hills.

This photo was taken on Coast Road in Wainuiomata, New Zealand.

This was one of those images I couldn’t get a pleasing result on at first. I left it until a lack of new material made me look back in my archives of previously shot images, and I finally developed it into a form I was pleased with.

Melbourne Central Business District in Abstract

Cityscape of Melbourne, Australia. Art photograph by Joseph Westrupp.

Title: Melbourne Towers.

Taken from Melbourne University, Australia.

This followed a normal trajectory of development—I took the shot from a visit to Melbourne University, basically liked the composition, and applied the vision I had for it in processing. Mind you, it had a lot of processing—it’s totally different to the original photo.