The Artistry Fine Art Process Narratives Commercial Art Book a Session Gallery The Journey

Seattle · Washington

Tim Hanley
Photo Artistry

Look like you. Feel like you.
Shine like never before.

The Artistry Commercial Process Book a Session
✦

Welcome. I'm Tim Hanley — and I want to be upfront with you from the start.

This isn't a standard photography studio, and what you'll find here isn't a standard portfolio. Every image you're about to see was built — constructed from light, intention, and yes, a lot of it from experimenting with artistic ideas and learning new techniques. Some of that experimentation includes the use of artificial intelligence as one creative tool among many — always in service of the story, never in place of it. I hold a genuine belief that every person carries a story worth making extraordinary.

I don't capture moments. I create them. Whether that's a portrait that tells the full story of who you are, a bridal editorial that feels like your own magazine cover, a multigenerational family collection designed to outlast all of us, or simply a cherished photograph recreated for the next chapter of your life — the work is always personal, always intentional, and always entirely yours.

Take your time. Look at the work. And when something moves you, reach out. That's where it all begins.

Tim Hanley
Tim Hanley

The Artist

I see the world
differently. Always
have.

I'm Tim Hanley — a Seattle photographer and digital artist living with severe colorblindness. I grew up in a world built on color I couldn't fully access, so I learned to rely on something else — light, structure, and the way a moment feels before it's understood.

Early on, someone told me I'd be better off trying to put lipstick on a pig than waste my time editing color photographs. That I should stick to black and white and leave color to people who could actually see it.

I bought the domain LipstickOnAPig.com that same week.

What started as defiance became discipline. And over time, that discipline became a way of seeing.

I don't build images the way most photographers do. I build them through relationship — how light shapes a face, how elements interact, how something feels before it's explained. Every composite I create comes from that process.

If you're a performer, a creator, or someone who wants more than just a photograph — this isn't about capturing how you look. It's about revealing something you didn't know was visible.

Photography isn't the only language I work in. I'm a philosopher, author, and songwriter — and the founder of Rain City Studios. My book, BEING: The Renaissance of Quantum Telos Idealism, asks the questions that photography can point to but not answer. It's available on Amazon. Some of my work finds its way there — to spaces I create, when photography alone isn't quite enough.

Tim Hanley

The Longer Story

A Life Made by Hand

Long before the camera, there was the studio — not a photography studio, but a sculptor's bench, a mold-maker's table, a craftsman's floor covered in pecan shell flour and resin. I have been making things by hand for most of my adult life, and the through line was never a medium. It was always intention.

In the early 1990s I sculpted a five-foot walking staff in clay, made a silicone rubber mold, and cast the entire piece in pecan shell flour and resin — a process repeated only once, for its pair. I called it The Prosperity Wand. It was covered in Elder Futhark runes I selected myself for their meaning, with the prosperity runes displayed across its crosspiece and raised runic lettering running the full length of the staff. Its companion, cast with Love Runes, was the female half of a matched pair. The female version is lost now. The Prosperity Wand remains.

Around that same time I began working with the Tarot — not as a hobby, but as a practice. I molded the Major Arcana in cultured marble as The Stone Masters Tarot Stones, packaged them into a Deluxe Gift Set with my book Miracles, Money & Mastery Through the Tarot, and sold them professionally. A silversmith in New Mexico later cast a complete set in sterling silver pendants from my original molds. I read cards for years with a simple guarantee: "If I'm not talking about you, why in the world should you pay me?" I never had to honor a refund.

I have also written my memoirs — A Wolf by the Ears — chronicling a thirty-year stand against the IRS, a life lived as a street performer in Asheville, a love affair with a news anchor who came to have her cards read and never quite left, and everything in between. The title is borrowed from Thomas Jefferson, who said of slavery, "We have the wolf by the ears, and we can neither hold him, nor safely let him go." I understood that. I've held a few wolves in my time.

A life made by hand — sculpture, tarot stones, the Prosperity Wand, and published works

The artifacts — sculpture, Prosperity Wand, Tarot Stones, and published works

Le Maggiori Arcana di Timoteo — The Major Arcana Tarot Book

Le Maggiori Arcana di Timoteo — The Major Arcana, with 22 original images

My most recent work in this tradition is The Major Arcana by Timothy — a complete illustrated guide to the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, with original artwork for each card created through hundreds of hours of directed image work. Every card was iterated until it was right. None were settled for. The deck reflects decades of reading across multiple traditions — Rider-Waite, Thoth, and others — and offers interpretations shaped by lived experience rather than received doctrine.

Photography is the newest chapter of a long creative life. The same instincts that went into casting a five-foot runic staff go into every composite I build — the belief that the right materials, the right intention, and enough patience can produce something that carries genuine weight.

Approaching my 71st birthday and starting something new, I took a moment to reflect.

Life is a perpetual argument between internal and external forces.

Two Generals stand opposed, commanding their armies across an endless field.
The terrain shifts—memory, desire, fear, time—
and the conflict stretches across the whole of a life.

One General calls for surrender.

The other—keeper of the Soul—studies the ground, counts what remains,
repositions what he can, and answers only:
"Not yet."

And so the war continues—quietly, relentlessly—
through victories that fade and losses that linger,
until the day the Soul lowers its sword and says,
"I can fight no more."

…and even then, something remains—
not to fight,
but to witness
what the battle was for.

What was seen in part becomes whole—
the war of heaven upon the earth is remembered,
the winds are calmed,
and the Soul rests.

— Tim Hanley

Creative Portfolio

The Artistry Collection

A curated showcase of past projects — documentation of a creative practice in motion.

For You

Fine Art Sessions

Every person who sits in front of my camera carries a story worth making extraordinary. These sessions aren't about taking photographs. They're about building something — a portrait so specific to who you are that no one else could ever own it.

Each session begins at $500, covering personalized planning, your shoot, and custom design work. High-definition digital files are included with any print package. All prints are available in your choice of fine art medium — additional prints available à la carte.

Designer Collection Mediums
Fine Art Print
Canvas
Acrylic
Metal
✦

All Tim Hanley Designer Collections are presented exclusively in fine art, canvas, acrylic, or metal — the only mediums worthy of the work. Once your collection minimum is fulfilled, additional prints beginning at 8×10 may be selected à la carte. Standard snapshot sizes are not offered. Every print that leaves this studio is a piece of art.

I Your Life in Crystal The Crystal Collections
The Family Crystal Set
Each Member · Their Own Portrait · One Collection
Discounted Multi-Crystal Pricing
The Kelly Family Crystal

The Kelly Family Crystal — everything rests in God's hands.

When two or more family members each receive their own Crystal — each a unique portrait celebrating their individual story — a discounted per-Crystal rate applies. Your wall becomes a gallery. Your gallery becomes a legacy.

Perfect for families who want to honor every generation, milestone, or individual within a single cohesive collection. Individual prints available for each family member separately — making additional orders a natural part of the experience.

What's Included
  • Individual portrait session for each family member
  • Custom composited fine art image per person
  • Discounted per-Crystal rate when booked as a set
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
  • Individual prints available for gifting to each family member
Build Your Collection
The Biography Crystal
Portrait · Biography Showcase
$500 + Prints
Hana Hahn Tran — Biography Crystal

A cinematic exploration of who you are — your story, your essence, rendered in fine art imagery that transcends a simple photograph. Each image is a chapter; together they form a biography in light.

Ideal for anyone who wants to mark a chapter of their life, celebrate who they've become, or simply own the most extraordinary portrait they've ever had taken. This is not a headshot. This is a legacy.

What's Included
  • Personal planning & concept consultation
  • Full portrait session
  • Custom composited fine art image
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
  • Additional prints available à la carte
Begin Your Story
The Engagement Crystal
A Portrait in Three · Her · Him · Together
$250 per Crystal + Prints
Jonathan Pierce — Husband in the Making

Husband in the Making

Pierce & Vale — The Lovely Couple

The Lovely Couple

Dr. Alexandra Vale — Bride to Be

Bride to Be

The Three-Crystal Suite
  • Crystal One — Her portrait, her story
  • Crystal Two — His portrait, his story
  • Crystal Three — Their portrait together
  • $250 per Crystal · $750 complete suite
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Additional prints available à la carte — ideal for family gifts
Start the Story

The Process

The Craft Behind the Crystal

Every crystal begins with a blank canvas and a story worth telling.

Each crystal begins with a blank template — and ends as something that could only ever belong to one person, or one family. Step One is not simply placing a portrait on a canvas. It is designing an entire world: the landscapes, the objects, the symbols, the light — every element chosen because it belongs to that story and no other. Step Two brings the narrative, the words that give voice to what the imagery shows. Step Three composites the finished crystal onto its chosen base, completing the piece.

Every crystal ball fine art piece is a fully custom design. The ball base itself can also be changed upon request — from the classic dark ornate stand to lighter, more romantic alternatives — to best suit the tone of the story being told.

Step One — Building the World Inside

Step One — Building the World Inside

Step Two — The Story Finds Its Voice

Step Two — The Story Finds Its Voice

II The Room Portrait Fine Art · In Place
The Room Portrait
Your Portrait · Your Space · Your Wall
From $350 + Prints
The Room Portrait — White Áo Dài The Room Portrait — Botanical Wall Mural

Custom variations available now — starting from $350 plus print costs.

This isn't a portrait you hang on your wall. This is a portrait that already lives there — and we show you exactly what it looks like before a single print is ordered.

Each Room Portrait begins with your session. Your image is then composited using layered particle masking — building depth, texture, and painterly dimension — before being placed into a custom room visualization designed to match your space, your style, and the scale of the wall it will call home. The result is a fine art piece you can see, feel, and fall in love with before it ever arrives at your door.

What's Included
  • Full portrait session
  • Custom layered particle masking & composite design
  • Room visualization — styled to your space
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
  • Custom room style variations available on request
See It on Your Wall
III
Bridal · Editorial
After Hours Editorial
Bridal Series
From $500

The wedding is one day. This is forever. Styled as your own personal edition of a luxury magazine, the After Hours Editorial Bridal Series gives you the cover, the spread, and the centerfold — all yours, all stunning.

Perfect for the bride who wants a portrait experience entirely her own — unhurried, editorial, and breathtaking. Also available for engagements and bridal parties.

What's Included
  • Cover Portrait — 20×30 print
  • 3 Editorial Spreads
  • 5 Portraits — 16×20 print
  • Back Cover — 20×30 print
  • Centerfold — 32×20 print
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
Optional Add-On
Personalized Magazine Portfolio — a 24 to 30-page bound edition featuring your complete editorial, designed as your own private issue of After Hours.
Reserve Your Edition
III
Family · Legacy
The Heirloom Series
Multi-Generational Portraiture
From $500

Some photographs aren't meant to sit in a phone. The Heirloom Series creates fine art family portraits designed to be displayed, cherished, and passed down through generations — images so beautiful they become part of your family's story.

Intentionally styled with timeless wardrobe and settings, these portraits will look as powerful fifty years from now as they do the day they're made.

What's Included
  • Multi-generational family session
  • Personalized styling & location guidance
  • Group and individual portraits
  • Custom composited fine art images
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
  • Additional prints available à la carte
Create Your Legacy
IV Then & Now Tribute · Transformation
The Reimagined Portrait
Recreating a Cherished Photo · 25–50 Years Later
$250 + Prints

You've changed. The world has changed. But some moments deserve to be revisited. The Reimagined Portrait takes a cherished photograph from 25 to 50 years ago and recreates it — same pose, same spirit, new chapter.

Perfect for milestone birthdays, anniversaries, and family reunions. The original and the new, presented side by side, tell a story no words can capture.

What's Included
  • Consultation to match original photo composition
  • Full portrait session recreating the original image
  • Side-by-side presentation design available
  • Custom composited fine art images
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
Revisit the Moment
The Transformation Portrait
Before & After · The Journey Made Visible
$250 + Prints

You did the work. You earned this moment. The Transformation Portrait pairs your before photo — provided by you — with a stunning fine art portrait of who you are now. Two images. One extraordinary story of will, discipline, and becoming.

Displayed together, this is not just a photograph. It is proof. The kind of art that belongs on a wall — not buried in a phone — so that every day you are reminded of exactly what you are capable of.

What's Included
  • Client provides the before photo
  • Full portrait session for your after image
  • Custom composited fine art portrait
  • Side-by-side or diptych presentation design
  • Hi-def digital files with any print purchase
  • Prints available in Fine Art, Canvas, Acrylic & Metal
  • Additional prints available à la carte — perfect for gifting
Celebrate Your Journey

The Craft

From Lens to Canvas

"A single shoot can yield multiple worlds." Every composite begins with a real person in a real place — captured with intention, lit with purpose, and posed with the final image already in mind. What follows is days of careful digital artistry: building worlds, matching light, and creating something that couldn't exist without both the photographer and the artist working as one.
Original — Pioneer Square, Seattle Original Photograph
Pioneer Square, Seattle
Shot on location in Seattle's historic district — natural light, brick walls, an alley that already felt like another era.
Composite — The Diagon Alley Dancer Composite Creation
The Diagon Alley Dancer
The dancer extracted and placed into a hand-crafted AI rendition of Diagon Alley — wet cobblestones, glowing shop windows, a world that only exists in imagination.
Original — Pioneer Square, Seattle Original Photograph
The Alley Session
Same dancer, same shoot — a different pose captured in the same Pioneer Square alley, lit by the golden hour and the ambient glow of the street.
Composite — Grace in Chaos Composite Creation
Grace in Chaos
The same session, the same dancer — placed into a world of fire and ruin. Pure form against destruction. One shoot, an entirely different world.
Original — Seattle Streets Original Photograph
The Street Session
Shot on a Seattle street with the stone arch of a historic building as backdrop — a moment of absolute stillness from a dancer in full extension.
Composite — Ballet in Crystal Composite Creation
Ballet in Crystal
Suspended inside a crystal sphere amid a shimmering dark cosmos — the same dancer, the same moment, transported into a world of pure wonder.
Original — Pacific Northwest Shore Original Photograph
The Shoreline Session
Shot on a Pacific Northwest rocky shoreline — natural overcast light, a stone pillar, the model's easy confidence in the environment.
Composite — Beach Fantasy Composite Creation
Beach Fantasy
Transported to a vivid tropical dreamscape — the same pose, the same joy, now dancing among palm trees and turquoise waters that exist only in the imagination.

Personal Work

Narratives

Some photographs aren't about craft. They're about love. This is a series of photographs of my grandson — the one who reminds me every day why any of this matters.

Things Pa Would Say

A grandfather's notes to his grandson — written not in words, but in photographs. Every image is a real moment. Every quote is original. Both the camera and the words belong to the same man.

To live a little
Walk a mile in his hat
Every journey begins with a single step
Believe only half of what you see
Love is always present
Be humble
The sky's the limit
It's how you play the game

Commercial Work

Album Covers & Publishing Art

Beyond the portrait studio, Rain City Studios creates commercial imagery for musicians, songwriters, and publishers — album covers, single art, and book covers that stop the scroll and tell the story before a single note is played or a page is turned.

Cover Art & Publishing

Cover Art & Publishing Design

Album covers, single art, book covers, and magazine covers for musicians, authors, and publishers. Every cover includes full commercial licensing and delivery in all required formats — square, portrait, and landscape — at no extra charge.

AI-Generated
Digital Cover Art
$150
AI imagery · any cover type
Concept to final in 3–5 days
  • Album, single, book, or magazine cover
  • All platform formats included (square, portrait, landscape)
  • Full commercial licensing
  • 2 concept directions to choose from
  • Client provides dimensions for book & magazine
Inquire
Most Requested
Photo-Based · Solo
Solo Artist Cover
$375
$175 photoshoot · $200 cover design
Or $200 design only if you have photos
  • Real photography composited into cover art
  • All platform formats included
  • Full commercial licensing
  • 3 concept directions to choose from
  • Client provides dimensions for book & magazine
Inquire
Photo-Based · Group
Band & Group Cover
$650
$350 photoshoot · $300 cover design
Or $300 design only if you have photos
  • Real photography of full group or band
  • All platform formats included
  • Full commercial licensing
  • 3 concept directions to choose from
  • Client provides dimensions for book & magazine
Inquire

Portfolio

Commercial Work

Erica's Song
Erica's Song
Single · Album Cover
For Only Love Knows
For Only Love Knows (My Name)
Single · Album Cover
Hearts on Fire
Hearts on Fire
Single · Album Cover
Truth Endures
Truth Endures
Album Cover · Rain City Studios
Echos
Echos
Album Cover · Rain City Studios
I Am That I Am
I Am That I Am
Album Cover · Rain City Studios
Born of the Unseen
Born of the Unseen
Album Cover · Rain City Studios
Never Too Old
Never Too Old
Single Art · Written by Tim Hanley
Don't Follow the Herd
Don't Follow the Herd
Single · feat. Waylon Creed Walker
Silas Grey & Nova Ren
Silas Grey & Nova Ren
Album Art · Rain City Studios
Glory: Keeper of Souls
Glory: Keeper of Souls
Album Cover · Rain City Studios
The World Becomes
The World Becomes
Single Art · Rain City Studios
Deep Sleep Baby
Deep Sleep Baby
Single · Rain City Studios
Let There Be Truth
Let There Be Truth
Single · Rain City Studios
Do As You're Told
Do As You're Told
Single · Rain City Studios
Petals in Porcelain
Petals in Porcelain
Single · Rain City Studios
Somewhere in the Silence
Somewhere in the Silence
I Was You All Along · Rain City Studios
All in the Numbers
All in the Numbers
Single · Waylon Creed Walker
All Roads Lead to Texas
All Roads Lead to Texas
Single · Waylon Creed Walker
A Candle in the Wind
A Candle in the Wind
Single · Rain City Studios
Chasin' Curb Appeal
Chasin' Curb Appeal
Single · Waylon Creed Walker
Divided Light
Divided Light
Single · Rain City Studios
From Sidewalks to Silos
From Sidewalks to Silos
Single · Little Emma Hays
It's Time for Love
It's Time for Love
Single · Minh & Sen
Let's Hear Christmas Sing
Let's Hear Christmas Sing
Single · Silas Grey & Nova Ren
Sen Trong Binh Minh
Sen Trong Bình Minh
Lotus in the Morning Light
May I Take Your Order Please
May I Take Your Order Please
Single · Silas Grey & Nova Ren
Not Me — But You
Not Me — But You
Single · Rain City Studios
Not One More Heartbeat!
Not One More Heartbeat!
Single · Waylon Creed Walker
Quiet Mind / Tâm An
Quiet Mind / Tâm An
Single · Written by Tim Hanley
The Fashion of My Life
The Fashion of My Life
feat. Hana Hanh Tran · Lyrics by Tim Hanley
The Prince of Darkness
The Prince of Darkness
Single · Tim Hanley · Rain City Studios
Minh & Sen – Bi-Lingual Love Songs
Minh & Sen
Bi-Lingual Love Songs · Album Cover
Where We Became
Where We Became
Nơi Ta Trở Thành · Minh & Sen
Hoang Dại Giữa Trời
Hoang Dại Giữa Trời
Wild Beneath the Sky · Lyrics by Tim Hanley
Gió Gọi (Wind Calling)
Gió Gọi (Wind Calling)
feat. Minh & Sen · Written by Tim Hanley
Treasures in the Attic
Treasures in the Attic
Album · Truth Endures · Rain City Studios
This Time We
This Time We
Single · Lyrics by Tim Hanley · Rain City Studios
Pa, Can You Take Me?
Pa, Can You Take Me?
To Play in the Snow · Truth Endures · Rain City Studios
Aftertaste (Dư Vị)
Aftertaste (Dư Vị)
feat. Minh & Sin · Written by Tim Hanley

Follow the Journey

@TimHanleyPhotoArtistry

New composites, behind-the-scenes process & works in progress · Updated weekly

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Get in Touch

Let's Create Something Extraordinary

Every project starts with a conversation. Tell me what you're imagining — or let me help you find it.

LocationSeattle, Washington
Available for travel · Pacific Northwest & beyond
EmailTim@TimHanleyPhotoArtistry.com
Instagram@TimHanleyPhotoArtistry
ResponseWithin 24–48 hours

The Man Behind the Work

The Journey

I am a survivor of a troubled childhood and a member of the Me Too community. I don't share those details — I've lived them, I own them, and I've moved on. What I will say is that once I turned the corner from being a victim to living as a survivor, I understood something that changed everything: I was never the only one.

That understanding is what has driven every piece of work I've created — from the Survivor's Group I founded in South Carolina in 1995, to the Rune and Tarot Stones designed for healing, to the portraits I build today. Art saved me. Helping others find their way through is what keeps me here.

The Beginning

Sculptor · Storyteller · Builder of Meaning

Tim Hanley's creative work spans decades and multiple mediums, unified by a single consistent focus: giving form to meaning. He began as a sculptor, working in clay before developing full production processes using resin, pecan shell filler, and cultured marble — allowing him to scale his work while maintaining artistic integrity. During this period his pieces were featured in metaphysical bookstores and craft venues across the country.

One of his earliest and most distinctive series was the Feet People — stylized human figures with heads emerging directly from ankles, always grounded with bare feet. The work reduced the human form to its essentials: identity and presence. He went on to create Spirit Candles featuring spirit animals, a Tabletop Mountain Fountain, and fully realized systems of Tarot Stones and Rune Stones — all produced in cultured marble and designed for inner reflection and healing, particularly for those walking through addiction and trauma.

His symbolic and narrative sculptures combined physical form with written story. The Stone Masters castle piece — a resin sculpture of a castle emerging from a hand, numbered in a limited edition of 10,000 — came with an embedded poem: "Once Upon a Time." The five-foot Prosperity Wand, carved from a natural vine and featuring raised runes, a Viking figure, cross, and crystal, functioned as both sculpture and artifact — emphasizing growth, intention, and meaning.

Not all of his work was solemn. Slick Willie Goes to Washington — a caricature of Bill Clinton created overnight in Hot Springs, Arkansas — demonstrated his ability to capture identity through interpretation rather than strict realism. It sold widely, including to Clinton supporters, proving that great character work transcends politics.

Stone Masters — Early Works

The Written Work

Author · Philosopher · Truth Teller

Tim's written work runs parallel to his visual art — unflinching, philosophical, and always rooted in lived experience rather than theory.

A Wolf by the Ears — The Struggle to End Slavery Continues documents one man's battle with addiction, taxation, and shame. The title says everything: once you grab hold of the wolf, letting go is just as dangerous as holding on.

Miracles, Money & Mastery Through the Tarot was published as a Deluxe Gift Set alongside the Stone Masters Tarot Stones — a complete system designed to help people access inner wisdom and navigate life's hardest passages.

Le Maggiori Arcana di Timoteo — TAROT: Svelare I Misteri Della Vita exists in completed form, written under the pen name Timoteo — the Italian rendering of Timothy. One day it will find its readers.

The Ancient Mysteries of the Tarot — Timotheous has been written for several years and also awaits its time.

Most recently, BEING: The Renaissance of Quantum Telos Idealism — born from an unexpected awakening following an aMCI diagnosis in 2025 — asks the questions that photography can point to but not answer. Available now on Amazon.

Tim Hanley — Published Works Le Maggiori Arcana di Timoteo — TAROT

Now

The Medium Changes. The Mission Doesn't.

Today Tim works in digital and AI-assisted visual art — but his core methodology remains unchanged. Through projects like Your Life in Crystal, he constructs visual artifacts that integrate portraiture, symbolism, and personal narrative. Each piece is designed to represent an individual's identity, experiences, and meaning in a unified visual form.

Rather than simply creating images, Tim continues his lifelong practice of building objects of meaning — now using light, composition, and digital tools instead of clay and stone.

Art is not just something to be seen — it is something to be recognized.

Begin Your Story

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