Michael Coyne is an acclaimed, multi-award-winning Australian photojournalist whose career has spanned decades, capturing everything from conflict and displacement to cultural identity. His work has graced the pages of Newsweek, Life, Time, National Geographic, and The New York Times to name but a few publications.
Coyne’s relentless globe-trotting has earned him a treasure trove of images, and a long list of accolades – including the Australian Government’s Centenary Medal. His work is held in prestigious institutions like the National Gallery of Victoria, the Australian War Memorial, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
Whether shooting for major magazines, documenting rural resilience, or lending his lens to corporate giants like Pepsi and IBM – Coyne has done it all. But at the heart of it, his passion remains the same – capturing the ever-evolving human experience, one compelling image at a time.
Village – Hearing the Grass Grow marks Coynes ninth photobook which explores the rapid transformations facing rural communities worldwide and how agrarian culture is becoming industrialised, with people moving to the cities.
Spanning 23 years of documentation, Coyne captures the fading traditions, economic challenges, and quiet resilience of communities navigating an uncertain future.
Having met Coyne on several occasions, I can attest to his energetic, witty outlook – he’s practically the dictionary definition of a raconteur. His natural charisma and talent for storytelling (he should write an autobiography) undoubtedly help him earn the trust of his subjects, allowing him to capture an unbiased, front-row view of their lives.
From the very first frame—a farmer softly serenading his chicken – Coyne pulls us into the intimate rhythms of everyday life. His images are rich with stories of perseverance: families building homes by hand, farmers tending fields that have sustained generations, and elders preserving cultural rituals that face extinction. With each frame, he weaves a visual narrative of tradition meeting modernity. One particularly striking pair of images contrasts a man searching for mobile phone reception with a blind tribal chief singing in a language on the brink of being lost – a stark reminder of the tensions between the past and an accelerating present.
Coyne’s signature approach—high-contrast, wide-angle compositions—immerses the viewer in these unfolding realities. He balances the weight of change with moments of quiet resilience, placing progress and loss side by side. Some images are accompanied by brief written insights – such as "Villagers working as coal miners on their stolen tribal land" – which provide context without detracting from the raw power of the photographs.
Yet, Village – Hearing the Grass Grow is not just a chronicle of loss. It is also a testament to survival, to the ingenuity and strength of people forging ahead despite adversity. Whether capturing a makeshift hospital or a village gathering, Coyne finds beauty in resilience, reminding us that while traditions may fade, the human spirit endures.
