ABOUT

The Man Behind The Camera

Joe Stroppel, creator of J Strop Photography, is a lifelong enthusiast of all things trains. Joe grew up in the city of Glen Cove, NY, along the Long Island Rail Road's quaint Oyster Bay Branch. On weekends, his mother would take him on train rides to and from Oyster Bay, and it's during these childhood years that he developed his fascination with the rails. Joe received his first camera at age twelve, and he has been shooting railroads of the Tristate region ever since. 

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Joe expanded his horizons to nature, landscapes and candids. He won a youth photography contest at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, and he was the official photographer for his high school sports program.

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Joe photographs his home railroad, the LIRR, as his primary artistic project. The busiest commuter railroad in North America is located in a hard to access region, and Joe aims to explore share its most interesting aspects.

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At age thirteen, Joe was the recipient of a scholarship to Conversations 2016 - a national conference held by the Center for Railroad Photography and Art (CRP&A) in Chicago, Illinois, at which he worked and observed as a docent. As a teenager, he had his work featured in an exhibit at the New York Transit Museum, and such companies as the Long Island Rail Road and Amtrak have used shots of Joe's for online advertising.

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In April 2025, Joe teamed up with the CRP&A to present his LIRR photography on their Zoom webinar series. He then received a scholarship to once again attend their annual conference in Chicago, where he presented his work in person that May.​

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Joe has since taken his show on the road. He has presented his LIRR portfolio to railroad historical societies near and far; most recently at the Long Island Sunrise Trail chapter of the NRHS in Babylon, NY and the Cincinnati Railroad Club at Union Terminal in Cincinnati, OH.

Railfan & Railroad Magazine has published Joe's images in several issues from recent years. A full spread and article featuring Joe's photography of the LIRR was published in R&R's September 2025 issue.

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When he isn't trackside, Joe is working on building his operatic tenor voice, going to New York Mets baseball games with his dad, and performing his one-man show at senior centers and libraries around Long Island.