Irish Connections - A Magazine For The Irish Worldwide

William Coupon is an Internationally published photographer who has been making his unique photographic portraits since the late 70's. This portfolio of Irish American Political Figures was taken from archive and captures the dignity of these individuals in a way few images can. --Brad Balfour

Beginnings

"My first photo images were ones that talked--audiographs-photographs that had looped cassettes behind a framed image, and photographs that moved--kinetographs-which were images attached to moving motors. Then in 1978, documented several nights at the New York disco Studio 54, and they were included in an International Center of Photography exhibition--Fleeting Gestures :Treasures of Dance Photogrography."

Portraiture

"I became involved with formal studio portraiture in 1979, starting with personality portraits at the Mudd Club and that evolved into what I refer to as my Sociol Studies series. I photographed many of the world's indigenous people: Haitians, Australian Aboriginals, Native Americans, Scandinavian Laplanders, Israeli Druzium, Morroccan Berbers, Peruvian Quechua, The Traditional Dutch, Mexican Tarahumara, Lacandon and Huichol, Alaskan Eskimos, Malaysian Penan, African Pygmy, Turkish Kurds, Panamanian Kuna and Chocoe, Brazilian Caraja and Spanish Gypsies. In addition to those backdrop portraits, I also take pictures in a more traditional reportage style. As a result, I was invited to photograph the world's tribal leaders at 1992's Earth Summit, in Rio de janiero, Brazil. I was asked by the United Nations and the United States Congress in November of 1994 to exhibit this work in the United States Senate Rotunda, as part of the UN's Year of the Indigenous People. "I have an extensive catalog of environmental portrait color images, and of numerous celebrities and politicians. I photographed 15 Time Magazine covers including portraits of the living Presidents including Clinton's Man of the Year Cover. In addition, I photographed several world leaders, including Yassir Arafat, Benazir Bhutto, and Prince Phillip and won awards through assignments for Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine and Rolling Stone. I also made numerous album and book covers, including ones for Bette Midler, Mick jagger, Able Hoffman and Keith Haring. As a result I've been included in several compilations through Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly.

I worked with the fashion designer Issey Miyake of japan, doing men's fashion portraits. The ethnographic work has now been assembled in book form. I intend to continue the ethnographic series--obviously because the world is still a big place."

Senator Ted Kennedy "This photograph was shot for Esquire Magazine.While taking the sit-down portrait, a bell went off and Kennedy had to rush off to take a vote on the senate floor.The second photograph was made outside by the columns. It was taken after Kennedy returned from Senate floor."

President William Clinton "This photo was shot for Time Magazine's 1992 Mon of the Yeor cover. The Photo was taken in the Arkansas Governors' mansion right after he was elected President. Clinton was late and his people told me to work quickly. As I scrambled, I started putting up the backdrop by standing on a chair. Hillary came over and mentioned that the chair was from 1833. I turned to her and said, "Aren't you two moving, anyway."

President Ronald Reagan "I was instructed by Reagan's representatives that he had to be smiling in the photograph They told me to say "Bellybutton, Mr. President" to make him smile. This photo was one of the shots I was able to take in between the smiling shots."

Jeanne Kirkpatrick "Before I shoot someone, I usually ask how they would like to look. Kirkpatrick said she wanted to look like an intellectual and this is the resulting shot. She captured the pose herself without much prodding."

Joseph Kennedy, Jr. "Simply, this photo was shot in his office in Boston for Mother Jones Magazine.That's it."

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan "This photo was shot for the New York Times at his favorite bar, McGoverns on 8th Avenue. It was an early afternoon shot therefore the bar was relatively empty so few even noticed who was there."