Timothy McCoy's images generally focus on what people leave behind rather than on the evanescence of contemporary culture. Human figures are largely excluded from his images, although humanity is alluded to through visible cultural icons and remnants. The photographs symbolize the fragmentary, the abandoned, and the forgotten while offering hope and refuge in response to fear and loss. The unconventional beauty of his alternative photographic process-palladium printing on vellum-underscores the archetypal symbols referenced in his work.

While attending the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, McCoy became enchanted and challenged by the upside down images in the ground glass of his 8 x 10 inch Deardorff field camera. He has continued to pursue his passion of translating the images he sees in the ground glass into reality.