How We Remember – by Carl Armijo

HOW WE REMEMBER BY CARL ARMIJO
Lorraine #4, Louisville, KY

One of the things that drew me to Odd Fellowship is the history of the organization. The amazing craftsmanship of the old regalia, the old artwork and the old photographs. It is so cool to see this stuff and think that we are very similar to these men and women who built and maintained this Order, and that we are finding fellowship in similar ways during different times. 

I have always been drawn to the old photographs as a great way to preserve the history of both the Order and the individual Lodges. As I look through my Lodge, Lorraine #4 in Louisville Kentucky, I noticed a lack of old photographs documenting our membership which are evident in so many other lodges.  A true shame since we have been around since 1835 and much if this history is lost. One of the things that has been on my mind since I joined the Order was to document our Lodge brothers and sisters through modern portraiture with a throwback to the old times. I envisioned old regalia and the faces of our current membership. Unfortunately, through many fires/moves/leaking roofs over the years, many of the old regalia is no longer usable. We do not have ornate robes or hats that are wearable, but we do have some very nice historic and beautiful collars with excellent embroidery that many of us find so fascinating and simply, just damn cool. So, I set out to make a set of portraits with our members in classic collars to start new memories in our lodge that can be passed on through the years. 

I find that my Lodge is the true definition of “Odd” Fellows, I have never met more “Odd’ people in my life, but we are all tremendous friends who get along great and bond with our desire to “visit the sick, relieve the distressed, bury the dead and educate the orphan”. We all come from different walks of life, but these differing life experiences do not affect our friendship and fellowship, this is the true definition of Odd Fellowship to me. With this group of Odd Fellows in mind, I scheduled a portrait photo shoot during one of our Lodge social events and built a set right in the Lodge hall. The photo shoot coincided with our Lodge’s Poker Tournament (to benefit the fund to replace our lost and damaged robes) so there was a flurry of activity all around the lodge. 

All brothers and sister of Lorraine #4 were invited to participate so we could take the time to document the membership in the Lodge today. All though we didn’t capture the faces of our whole membership, we had an amazing turnout with many of the brothers and sisters participating in the photo shoot. 

My goal was to create images that could adorn our Lodge hall in a way that is uniquely Lorraine #4 in Louisville Kentucky and in a way that would allow brothers and sisters peronalized imagery that shows their passion and dedication to Odd Fellowship. I have no doubt in my mind that some of the portraits will be cherished by themselves, their friends and their families in the years to come. 

Carl Armijo is a Louisville Kentucky Headshot Photographer and member of Lorraine Lodge #4 in Louisville Kentucky. His passion is to help coach you to look your best and to improve your online image presence. https://www.carlarmijo.com

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