Pleading The First!

“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 preserving 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.

Jeff Tidwell

Photography has always fascinated me, but I did not start pursuing it until later in life. As a kid, I was drawn to the powerful images in Time, Life, and National Geographic. That spark stayed with me, and in 2012, while doing mission and street ministry work in Bucharest, I finally bought a camera on eBay and came home with a handful of decent shots and a growing hunger to go deeper.

Since then, I have been experimenting and pushing myself to see what I can create in the camera frame, whether shooting film or digital. That process of discovery has been just as rewarding as the photos themselves.

Street photography quickly became my focus. I love its rawness, unpredictability, and simplicity. My work blends candid street moments with portraits that carry soul and grit. I am especially drawn to eyes and often wait for eye contact in candid shots. Some believe it breaks the scene, but for me it creates a powerful connection between subject, photographer, and viewer.

For me, photography is a journey through the heart of human experience. I look for fleeting intersections of life that bind us, capturing fragments that stir the spirit and invite reflection. Each image is a quiet dialogue, a window into lives unfolding with emotion, struggle, beauty, and resilience. Street photography is my way of telling stories about what it means to be alive. Whether it is a gaze that pulls you in or reflections layered in a window, I want my photos to resonate and remind us of the threads that tie us together.