MICHAEL COYNE

has worked as a photographer for 30 years – covering wars, revolutions and international events in places like Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Central and East Africa, North and Latin America, Australian, New Zealand, Middle East and Europe. Michael is one of the few photographers who extensively covered the very brutal Iran/Iraq war. He spent eight years in the region documenting the rise of Islamic fundamentalism the Iranian revolution and was the last western photographer to photograph Ayatollah Khomeini before his death. Yasser Arafat invited Michael to travel with him throughout the Middle East over a two year period.

His photographs are held in collections in America, Australia, Hong Kong, England and Italy and his work has appeared in NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE, TIME, LIFE, NEWSWEEK, PARIS MATCH, VOGUE, SPORTS ILLUSTRATED and others.

His photographs documenting the Jesuits resulted in a book called ‘SECOND SPRING” and became an international best seller. Other titles include “A WORLD OF AUSTRALIANS”, “TOUR OF DUTY” (about the people of East Timor) and his latest publication called “LONELY PLANET-PEOPLE PHOTOGRAPHY”. Michael also had time to do a children’s book called “JESUS THE JEW” awarded ‘Children’s Book of the Year’ in ’93.

He was selected by Kodak to document the Sydney 2000 Olympics and has also worked on many of the ‘Day in the Life’ books.

He has been the subject of three documentaries and in 2003 he was awarded the ‘Centenary Medal’ for his services to photography.

Michael lives in Hong Kong and is about to release a book of his works titled “HOW TO BE A CHILD” and is also documenting the world’s ‘disappearing village’ – a labour of love to record and witness the last days of centuries of tradition, culture and heritage before they disappear under the onslaught of a ‘world culture’ of MTV and mobile phones – hence the probable demise of sociability.

photos@michaelcoyne.com.au
www.michaelcoyne.com.au