I originally conceived 1312 as a way to use photography as a form of protest. The NYPD is heavily armed, comparable in size to a military force. At a protest, the people with me are teachers, bartenders, parents, and students. The imbalance of power is explicit. I am a protester first, photographer second. A photograph acts as a verb and action, I want to harness that and make it purposeful. My use of color is a statement of my perspective. Using my own creative vision, I question the accepted ways in which we are taught to photograph protests, especially the police. I answer to my instincts and the will of the people. I get close, I aggressively use my flash, and present myself as a protester. I aim to break down the barriers that traditional journalists face while documenting political action. This allows me to show the police when they feel examined or confronted. By photographing “cops, not comrades,” I turn the eye of surveillance back on the state.