08/23/2026
Photo essay: Bloomington Pride in Polaroid Purple
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — August 23, 2026
The Bloomingtonian’s Jeremy Hogan returned to his formative film days Saturday, taking a $10 Polaroid 600 thrift-store camera loaded with reclaimed Polaroid Purple film to Bloomington Pride on Aug. 22, 2026.
The process forced Hogan to slow down and consider each image before pressing the shutter. There was no rapid-fire shooting, no checking the back of the camera and no second chance. When the film was gone, he was finished for the day.
Hogan photographed portraits, drag performances and scenes along Kirkwood Avenue as community members celebrated during the annual Pride event, held shortly before the beginning of fall classes at Indiana University. Most of the photographs were posed, while a few captured moments of action.
Timing the photographs and judging the exposure were challenging because each frame offered only one opportunity to get it right. The finished Polaroids were scanned and toned in Adobe Lightroom.
Hogan began taking photographs in junior high school, sometimes cutting class to photograph professional skateboarders with a Canon point-and-shoot camera borrowed from his grandmother. Working with the Polaroid camera brought him back to those early days: one frame, one try and no guarantee the photograph would work.
A huge thank-you goes to everyone who agreed to be photographed and helped make this collection possible.
More photos at link:
https://bloomingtonian.com/2026/08/23/photo-essay-bloomington-pride-in-polaroid-purple/
