Photography authorship has historically been very one-sided. In this video, Vuhlandes is quick to confess that making photographs has historically been a medium for those few people who had the resources by way of money and time to make images.
In his video, Vuhlandes focuses on macro work and harkens to a hypothetical type of photographer who creates macro images.
I never really had any interest in macro photography because to me, it’s always felt like a white man’s — khaki pants, photography vest, Nikon camera with a 600mm lens — form of photography to me. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, as you can clearly see, I am not a white man in khaki pants and a photography vest wielding a 600mm lens on a Nikon camera.
Although photography is significantly more democratic today regarding who can author images, there is still a long way to go. It is for this very reason that it’s important for photographers to push boundaries and occupy spaces that haven’t traditionally been for them. Only by pushing back at systems to create a diverse authorship of images can stories be told that are richer, more nuanced, and multifaceted.
You can do things and make photos in your own way.
I don't do a lot of macro: mostly portraits and landscapes. But, it is fun when I get out in the Mrs. flower garden. There are just no limits. I still want to try an insect closeup though! Maybe this year I'll get lucky.
I got a hip replacement last August and was trapped at home for two weeks after surgery. In my boredom I pulled out my old Nikkor 40mm Micro, slapped it on a Z50, and started exploring my back yard. Wasps, yellow jackets, spiders, bees, ants, aphids, stink bugs, beetles, clover, flowers, water drops, saw toothed blades of grass - a whole universe of life - right outside my door.