Man bleibt unter sich
Will Vogt, a photographer from a wealthy family, has spent 50 years capturing the lives of America's upper class in his new book "Behind the Hedges." The book features 52 photographs of the super-rich at social gatherings—dinner parties, garden parties, sailing, golfing, horse racing, and hunting—but never shows individuals alone or up close. Vogt, who worked in oil and gas, owns a cattle ranch and a quail hunting business, gained access to this closed world because he belongs to it: his subjects are family, friends, neighbors, and business partners.
This matters because the book highlights how access is everything in photography. Vogt's insider status allows him to document a notoriously private elite without the barriers faced by outsiders. The work also raises questions about class, privilege, and the visual culture of old money, contrasting it with the flashy displays of new wealth. By refusing to name or individualize his subjects, Vogt keeps viewers at a distance, reinforcing the very exclusivity he photographs.