Pleading The First!
Jeff Tidwell | Colorado, United States
Photographer: Jeff Tidwell
Exhibit Title: Pleading The First!
Location: Colorado, United States
Pleading the First invites viewers to step into the lived atmosphere of public demonstration, experiencing protest from within rather than as distant observers. The photographs in this exhibition document demonstrations that took place during the Trump Administration, a period marked by heightened public engagement and visible expressions of constitutional rights. Through these images, the First Amendment becomes an active presence as crowds gather, voices rise, and signs move through shared space. The work reflects a commitment to impartial documentation, allowing each moment to stand on its own while preserving the emotion, unity, and tension that emerge when public expression meets both authority and community response. Every frame becomes a record of democracy in motion, capturing the faces, gestures, and collective energy that transform constitutional principles from written text into lived experience. By placing viewers at the center of these scenes, Pleading the First highlights protest as a protected form of civic participation and reveals how democracy is continually shaped by those who choose to stand, speak, and assemble.
Pleading the First comes from my time photographing demonstrations during the Trump Administration. Being in those crowds showed me what the First Amendment looks like when people bring it to life. I documented the movement of the marches, the energy of the streets, and the quieter moments that often get overlooked. Along the way, I also made portraits of demonstrators who chose to pause and share a bit of themselves with the camera.
My goal was never to shape the story but to witness it. I tried to stay present, pay attention, and let the scenes and the people speak for themselves. These images capture the mix of emotion, tension, and connection that happens when people show up in public to express what matters to them.
I want viewers to feel like they’re standing there too, surrounded by the noise, the faces, and the energy of real civic engagement. At its core, this work is about seeing democracy in action and recognizing the power of people who decide to step forward and be counted.
Jeff Tidwell
me@jeff-tidwell.com
https://jeff-tidwell.com
IG: @jeff_tidwell_street
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