Pow Wow Dancers, Released November 2023
My biggest book yet at 110 pages and 113 images! It’s beautiful too but don’t take it from just me:
What a beautiful, shall I say STUNNING book filled with color and pride and elegance of these dancers! I love the progression from tiny tots all the way to the elders. You can see the joy and pride in each and every face. This book of beautiful photos only makes me want to go to a Pow Wow in person! You’ve outdone yourself, Tim. VP
Tim Murphy’s newest work Pow Wow Dancers is a gorgeous testament to movement, color, and humanity. Tim displays a true gift for capturing the essential spirit of these wonderful performers as they dance and compete in celebration of their heritage. Pow Wow Dancers opens our eyes to a world of Native American culture, resplendent in all its richness and vibrancy. Welcome to the Pow Wow! MH
I am so glad you took an interest in American Indian Pow Wows and I was able to share my knowledge about these events. In your photography of closeups of the dancers, you have brought out a nice perspective of the joy of the dancers as they celebrate their culture. Pow Wows are like a family reunion and a chance to show off new dance cloths. Exposing the joy of the Tiny Tots dancing is a highlight for the parents. Your photos show this joy of the Pow Wows and the dancers expressing themselves in dance. Here is hoping I can continue helping you enjoy these experiences! BH
A little background on the book below…
I attended my first Pow Wow in March, 2016 and was immediately captivated! It was a feast for the senses. Scores of American Indians in colorful dance outfits with faces made. The soundtrack was the thundering beat of the drum and the air was laced with the buttery smell of fry bread.
As a photographer, I was absolutely in heaven. The scene was so exotic, so festive. So many dancers, young and old, male and female all dressed in regalia the likes I had never seen.
Over the course of the twenty one Pow Wows that I have photographed, I developed a style. One that I believe best shares the story I wish to communicate. I gravitated to shooting close ups of the dancers faces. A portrait, if you will. My contention is that this best captures the beauty, grace, pride and power of the American Indians participating in these events.
A Pow Wow is a dance competition that is contested by dance style, gender and age. Men’s categories include Grass, Fast and Chicken Dancers. Women’s styles include Fancy Shawl, Traditional and Jingle Dress Dancers. Contestants in the latter dance in dresses adorned with dozens of metal jingles. Imagine the sound of twenty or thirty women dancing in jingle dresses! Like most Pow Wow dancers, the dresses are hand made by the wearer. And then there is the Tiny Tot category – beautiful young children dressed in full regalia. And man can they dance!
I will start this collection of portraits with Tiny Tots and progress to the elders, mirroring the cycle of life. I’ll spare you any commentary and let the portraits tell the story.
Book Details: Large Format Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 13X11” (33X28cm) 110 Pages, 113 Photos / $110
Three Summers in Ireland, Released November 2022
“Three Summers In Ireland takes me back to the Irish vacations of my childhood, playful and magical, wrapped in the warm glow of long summer evenings. Tim Murphy’s images are by turns gorgeous and evocative, centered on the idea that Ireland’s beauty must be experienced rather than simply captured. His fine art photographs draw you in, making you lean even further into their embrace until you are lost in what you have found. Coupled with Tim’s own compelling story of perseverance in the face of adversity, Three Summers conjures up something truly magical – an immersive and inspiring experience in an endless Irish summer. Highly recommended!”
Myles Hassett, Irish born and educated, Phoenix Law Firm Owner and Photographer
Book Details: Large Format Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 13X11” (33X28cm) 100 Pages, 121 Photos / $95
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Chicago, Released November 2021
Chicago: Hog Butcher for the World,
Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat,
Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler;
Stormy, husky, brawling,
City of the Big Shoulders
Or when Tim gets hold of this town, It’s City of the Big Shutters, Player with F-stops; Lake Michigan Sunrises and Sunsets and the Nation’s First Ferris Wheel…with apologies to Carl Sandburg.
As a former docent with the Chicago Architecture Foundation, I loved showing off this stormy, husky, brawling city. I loved sharing stories of the first skyscrapers, the architectural masterpieces, its hidden gems and its unmistakable lakefront. And I loved showing my big brother around town when he first moved here.
My brother Tim and I both lived in Chicago in the 90’s. We marched on St. Patrick’s Day, were star-struck by fireworks off Navy Pier, listened to a Christmas choir as we met up with our parents in the lobby of the Palmer House, and considered ourselves lucky to be living in such a gorgeous built environment.
We’ve both since moved away from Chicago, but have fond memories of our time in the City of Big Shoulders. (Of course, it was the 1990’s… we ALL had big shoulders!)
Congratulations on another great book, Tim!
Mary Nell Murphy
Book Details: Large Format Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 13X11” (33X28cm) 80 Pages, 106 Photos / $100
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Taliesin West, Released October 2021
Growing up in southern Wisconsin, our family would take weekend excursions. We three kids would pile in the car and Mom and Dad would drive us down country roads to museums, prairies, churches, dells, and one memorable day to Taliesin on the bluffs of the Wisconsin River. I was about eight years old, so my brother Tim would have been ten. As we toured the house and school, I distinctly remember entering a hushed room and seeing a distinguished white-haired man surrounded by young students. Frank Lloyd Wright, colored pencil in hand, holding court. It would be decades, I’m sad to say, before I realized that what I saw was a photograph. A black and white image of the master architect with some of his apprentices.
That is the power of a really great photograph. It arrests you, it enthralls you, it stays with you. And that is what this book contains: stunning images of a master architect’s masterpiece, taken by a photographer with a true, sustaining love of the angles, curves, shadows and hushed rooms of Taliesin West.
Mary Nell Murphy
Book Details: Large Format Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 13X11” (33X28cm) 36 Pages, 49 Photos / $75
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Arizona Through My Lens, Released December 2020
Please join me for an adventure through some incredible sights in our great state of Arizona. We start our travels at The Grand Canyon for magnificent views then on to Monument Valley where we’ll see the John Ford landscapes. My lens captured magical Sedona, Saguaro National Park in Tucson and many spectacular sights in between. I share images of nature with epic desert sunrises and sunsets before moving on to ethereal moon images. Arizona Through My Lens closes with a tribute to the state’s indigenous people in the final section, Pow Wow portraits.
Book Details: Large Format Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 13X11” (33X28cm) 78 Pages, 134 Photos / $90
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Irish Churches, Released October 2020
“Through the centuries, churches have been integral to Irish communities, both large and small. Tim Murphy has done a masterful job of capturing that spirit in this beautiful new book. Irish Churches will take you on a unique and unforgettable voyage through Ireland’s places of worship.”
Myles P. Hassett, Irish born and educated, Phoenix Law Firm Owner and Photographer
“As a photographer from Ireland, who only discovered Tim Murphy’s work in the past year or so, I have enjoyed his rich Arizona sunsets and his fascinating native American profiles from afar. I am gobsmacked by this new book on two fronts: just how much of this island, my Ireland, Tim has managed to photograph, and how stunning the photographs are. Tim has brought ancient places in my own part of the world to life in a way I haven’t seen anyone else do such justice to. Bravo, Tim, and to your readers, enjoy this wonderful collection of photographs that prove Tim has got ‘round more of this country than I have in my 59 years, beautifully documenting our culture and history in the process.” Go n-éirí an bóthar leat!
Ed Lee, Photographer, Sligo, Ireland
“Tim Murphy’s Irish Landscapes is best followed up with his latest Irish Churches allowing the reader to ponder the immense workmanship and craftsmanship that has continued for centuries in Ireland. The age of faith has ebbs and flows yet these photos remind us of the significant place Houses of Worship past and present have played in the history of Ireland and the important part Faith has played in the Irish people blessed with beauty of the land and church architecture.”
Fr. Gregory J Schlarb, Pastor – Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Scottsdale, Arizona, Irish descendant of Foley & Daley families from County Roscommon
“He’s done it again! Tim Murphy captures the splendor of Ireland in his new photography collection. The historical and cultural significance of these amazing edifices are captured on each page of Irish Churches. We marvel at the work of artisans past and their caretakers of today through Tim’s stunning work. In sharing glimpses of what’s inside those aged exteriors, he’s added to my must-see list for travel plans!”
Ann Niemann, Executive Editor, Epic Author Publishing and Publisher, The Desert Shamrock
“Tim’s Irish Churches has captured moments in time that are simultaneously splendid and glorious, still and calm yet evocative and haunting, almost unwittingly reflecting in the exceptional capture of colour and subject matter the character and mood of the souls that would have wandered their aisles – dark clouds, vibrant art, glowing halos, jaded bricks and looming shadows, intricacies of architecture and woodwork, spires and steeples and crosses all reaching for the heavens. Galway Cathedral transports you to the past and present and future all at once; you can hear the youthful chatter in Kilfenora Cathedral; and, watch the mesmerising clouds floating over Cong Abbey as you blink in the rays of sunshine that epitomize Tim’s illuminating works.”
Aoife Elizabeth Butler, General Counsel , Atlantic IP Services, Ltd., and co-founder of Irish Network USA
“I look at the images by Tim Murphy first as a pilgrim and second as a Derry born photographer. As a pilgrim, I have been in churches, cathedrals and basilicas from Florence, London, Paris and Ireland – Dublin to Donegal. Tim’s stunning images of Irish Churches capture the beauty and history with reverence and a connection to the past. Photographically, Tim Murphy uses symmetry like a young Stanley Kubrick. Tim Murphy’s images should remind the viewer of the words of John 0’Donohue, “The dead are not distant or absent. They are alongside us.” (excerpt from a book by John O’Donohue, Beauty: The Invisible Embrace).
Aaron Doherty, Photographer, Northern Ireland
“Tim’s Irish Churches captures their essence in stunning colors and exquisite detail. These are images to get lost in, then get lost in again when you revisit them after reading his Information and Anecdotes.”
Jim Daugherty, Chairman of the Board, Irish Cultural and Learning Foundation, Phoenix
Book Details: Large Format Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 13X11” (33X28cm) 66 Pages, 111 Photos / $90
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Pow Wow Portraits, Released February 2019
Pow Wow Portraits shares a moment in today’s history. The collection exhibits a generation of lovely Pow Wow dancers celebrating life through dance and continuing cultural traditions. Tim has captured an elegant view of the dancers in their element. Beautiful work!
Kendorina Redhouse, Pow Wow Dancer
I first met Tim Murphy in 2016 when he photographed the Pow Wow at ASU. Since then, I have enjoyed his incredible coverage of Pow Wows. His book, Pow Wow Portraits is a beautiful collection of his best Pow Wow images. He has uniquely captured the beauty and grace of our Native American heritage.
Tahnee Baker, Pow Wow Dancer and ASU Pow Wow Committee Board Member
About three years ago, I invited Tim to attend an American Indian Pow Wow that I was dancing in to see if he could capture some interesting photos. Since that first encounter, he has photographed over a dozen events here in the Greater Phoenix Area. Capturing the essence and beauty of the regalia depicting the many categories from Tiny Tots to Golden Age, Tim’s photos bring out the best. His images are absolutely breath-taking and portray the creativity and nobility of the dancers in action. In his book Pow Wow Portraits, Tim has amassed a collection of incredible photographs to share with those interested in the Pow Wow culture of the American Indian.
Bill Hudson, Pow Wow Dancer
Book Details: Standard Landscape Hard Cover w/ Dust Jacket, 10X8” (25X20cm) 20 Pages, 48 Photos / $55