Seattle · Washington
Look like you. Feel like you.
Shine like never before.
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. 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.
The Artist
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.
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.
Creative Portfolio
A curated showcase of past projects — documentation of a creative practice in motion.
For You
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.
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.
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.
Husband in the Making
The Lovely Couple
Bride to Be
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Craft
Original Photograph
Composite Creation
Original Photograph
Composite Creation
Original Photograph
Composite Creation
Original Photograph
Composite Creation
Personal Work
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.








Commercial Work
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
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.
Portfolio
Follow the Journey
New composites, behind-the-scenes process & works in progress · Updated weekly
Follow on InstagramGet in Touch
Every project starts with a conversation. Tell me what you're imagining — or let me help you find it.
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