get_attached_media() on author page not working

I assume that you have a simple misunderstanding of what this function actually does and what it should be used for: get_attached_media() simply fetches all child posts for a given posts:

if ( ! $post = get_post( $post ) )
    return array();

$args = array(
    'post_parent'    => $post->ID,
    'post_type'      => 'attachment',
    'post_mime_type' => $type,
    'posts_per_page' => -1,
    'orderby'        => 'menu_order',
    'order'          => 'ASC',
);

From Codex:

Retrieve media attached to the passed post. Uses get_children().

If you are using this on an author archive, the main query will be retrievable by using $GLOBALS['wpdb']->get_queried_object() or just get_queried_object(). Again from the Codex page:

If you’re on an author archive, it will return the author object

Now, an author per default is a WP_User and not a post object that can have children. To retrieve all media that an author attached to posts, you will have to loop through the posts of an author and then query for the media inside the loop by using $media = get_attached_media( get_the_ID() );.

Related Posts:

  1. Display all posts in a custom post type, grouped by a custom taxonomy
  2. Display Authors Comments on Profile Page
  3. Conditional two level dropdown filter for custom post type
  4. Show all custom post type posts sorted by custom taxonomy then by another custom taxonomy
  5. List all posts in Custom Post Type but group dynamically by Custom Taxonomies
  6. Randomly placed sticky custom posts complemented by blog posts
  7. How to display the rest of categories on Portfolio filterable
  8. Should unaltered default loop/query return a list of custom posts belonging to a custom taxonomy?
  9. 404 error PageNavi custom type taxonomy | wordpress
  10. Query for posts in 2 taxonomies
  11. Get the terms of a custom taxonomy for a specific author in author template
  12. ‘category__and’ for custom taxonomy?
  13. Separate Posts and Custom Post Type in Custom Taxonomy archive template
  14. Impossible to get Attachments Outside WordPress?
  15. How to dynamically build a multiple taxonomy query loop within a post type’s single loop?
  16. wp_query to find posts by year and month
  17. Custom Post Type Taxonomies -Posts not showing in Category or Tag pages
  18. Custom Post Type Loop within Shortcode
  19. Filter post by current 2 differents users id
  20. get_template_part for each level of taxonomy term
  21. Filter by custom taxonomy slug on a custom post type
  22. Only show posts from a certain category?
  23. Display CPT posts based on specific taxonomy
  24. WordPress Genesis custom taxonomy archive shows 3 repeats of each post
  25. Am unable to reset a query properly
  26. Get next and previous 3 posts in a term in single post page
  27. Custom loop with multiple taxonomy queries
  28. Custom post type multiple loop by taxonomy term
  29. List custom taxonomy specific to one custom post type
  30. Display all taxonomy terms, add class if term applies to current post
  31. Return the latest post from a custom Taxonomy and Post Type
  32. Displaying CPT and custom taxonomy side by side in Bootstrap 4 component
  33. Group CPT posts by custom taxonomy
  34. What’s the WP way to load remaining custom posts?
  35. Display Custom Taxonomy Alphabetically
  36. Full Custom Post Type List Organised by two Taxonomies
  37. Hierarchy and access control for Custom Post Types (CPT)
  38. Display related custom taxonomy posts in sidebar
  39. Only show posts with date of today or in the future (i.e don’t show past posts)?
  40. get_the_title() is returning results from previous loop
  41. Main query not querying any posts in custom taxonomy template
  42. Control content before and after custom post type loop
  43. looping though custom post types and only return results in a given taxonomy
  44. Pull in taxonomy field of custom post type in new query
  45. display posts of custom post type with custom taxonomy
  46. Custom Post Type not showing in main loop
  47. My custom taxonomy is only displaying 1 of 3 terms
  48. Custom Post Type and Taxonomy Loop Output Is Wrong
  49. get_terms() parent, child and grandchild
  50. List all Custom Post Type posts excluding certain Taxnomy term
  51. Compare Two Custom Post Types Using The Same Custom Taxonomy
  52. Looping through custom taxonomy and display custom post types (Custom Post Type UI)
  53. Cant’ Display Custom Post Type Title Base on Tax Terms
  54. Loop and add Specific Categories and Products Images
  55. Loop for custom-post-type comparing taxonomy terms for “related” posts?
  56. How do i display post from a taxonomy term?
  57. Use Author Ids or Names to echo different output inside loop
  58. Multiple custom post type queries causing wrong post types to be grabbed in taxonomy + single templates?
  59. Query for specific taxonomy that executes a particular loop depending on volume of posts?
  60. What is the most efficient way to execute recursive complex queries?
  61. How can I loop at a Specific Taxonomy from a custom post type?
  62. Get Posts List of Current Selected Custom Taxonomy in Shortcode
  63. Custom archive page for custom taxonomy and pagination issue
  64. How to display list of custom post taxonomy terms and their posts (if any)?
  65. Custom post type paging return home page
  66. Excluded Custom Taxonomy Term Posts Displaying in loop
  67. Some posts not displaying by taxonomy term
  68. Combine multiple separate lists into one
  69. posts_per_page is not working by term
  70. Multiple Custom Post Type in Taxonomy Archive Causing White Screen
  71. Adding a Section for Visitors
  72. Why is my loop not populating the page with my custom taxonomy terms from my custom post type?
  73. Show parent category and subcategory once in while loop
  74. List all posts associated under custom taxonomy
  75. How can I group by Taxonomy on Custom Post Type while filtering out based on custom Meta
  76. % encoded URL giving 404 error in WordPress
  77. CPT: multiple loops with different terms
  78. Loop to display parent categories in custom taxonomy
  79. Custom taxonomy template for custom fields loop [closed]
  80. Add active class to foundation 6 tabs while looping categories
  81. How to show terms used only for particular custom post type. Filter creation perpose
  82. Show posts for current taxonomy
  83. Looping through custom taxonomy in one template
  84. WordPress query posts by custom post type not workng
  85. Custom post type with custom taxonomy permalinks
  86. Custom taxonomy page template
  87. Loop with Custom Post Type and Taxonomies
  88. Loop multiple taxonomy in custom post
  89. Post data in separate divs with incrementing class using WP_Query
  90. WordPress Custom Post Type and sort by Tags
  91. Display posts from category in page
  92. Sorting custom post types by taxonomy (So close)
  93. Looping taxonomy in taxonomy?
  94. Listing custom post type items from a couple of custom taxonomies
  95. Catergory args causing loop not to show
  96. display custom post type from register taxonomy
  97. Get all active posts that are tied to a custom taxonomy for a custom post type
  98. Complex Custom Loop with Includes
  99. Create a WordPress loop that shows posts from a custom post type + filters the posts by taxonomies while hiding empty taxonomies
  100. Add Custom Taxonomy Terms as CSS Classes for CPT Posts in an Elementor Loop Item Template