By Claire Levine

Maybe it takes a crisis for little miracles to happen. Or perhaps things just seem more miraculous when set against a backdrop of hard times and uncertainty. 

However it occurred, Norm Eder and Rob Layman produced a wondrous body of work in 2020: The Jeremy Wilson Foundation Portrait Project*.  By doing what they love, they created a photo collection that will benefit individual artists, their fans, The JWF, and anyone who enjoys looking at beautiful black and white photography.

Norm is a partner in a public affairs firm that deals with complex public policy issues. As a balance to his day job, Norm dedicates hours of volunteer time to the arts. He coordinates photography at the annual Waterfront Blues Festival.  He loves music, and he loves photography – and he is a super organizer.

That’s how he met Rob, a former photojournalist, who currently works at Pro Photo Supply. Rob is a regular member of the blues festival’s photography team.

In 2020, Rob spoke to Norm about setting up a photo booth near the stage at the park, so he could take portraits of the performers, as well as candid shots.  But since, like so many other things, the festival was cancelled, Rob’s idea evolved into the JWF Photo Project.

Rob said, “I needed a project to keep me sane, and I knew just the person to help.” So, he called Norm, and proposed they turn the festival photo booth idea into a project they could collaborate on while the music world was on Covid-19 slow time.

The project produced black and white photos of musicians and others who work in the music industry – 34 people so far. The artists can use the photos to promote their own work. The JWF’s Musician Assistance Program uses the photos as the theme of its new website – beautifully illustrating the range of talent that enlivens Portland’s music scene.

To date, the photographers have captured images of 34 musicians and others whose work support the music business. They took a pause in November when Covid-19 cases surged but are planning to continue shooting in 2021.

Jeremy Wilson said, “The project is an awesome gift for our community.  Norm and Rob donated hours and hours of time in and out of the studio. And Pro Photo Supply gave the photographers the use of its studio and equipment.  It’s hard to calculate the dollar value of all those contributions.” 

Natalie Olson also contributed hours of professional makeup work – under a strict Covid-protection protocol – while helping the musicians feel relaxed and comfortable before they walked into the studio. Rob said, “It was such a blessing to have her there.”

The exceptional quality of the photos reflects both the technical and the people skills of the photographers and makeup artist, who relished the opportunity to spend time with some of their favorite Portland musicians.  It is all the more amazing considering the whole project took place inside the studio with masks and social distancing.

A gift based in gratitude. Unlike so many musicians and artists, Rob’s income hasn’t been affected by Covid-19. “My day job never shut down. I didn’t miss a day of work, and I feel privileged. And I’m so sad for the people who can’t do their heart’s work for the world right now.” Both he and Norm were happy to give their time and skills to the project.

And both men feel they gained tremendously from the experience.

Norm loves photography, but, he said, “I’ve been shooting stage performances for years, but my studio experience was limited before this project to a class I too many years ago. So, working with Rob has been a great learning experience.”

And Norm, master spreadsheet-and-calendar-keeper, said, “And Rob learned how to wrangle people.”

Their tag-team approach – one taking photographs, the other schmoozing with the artists to take their minds off the camera – worked well.  When he wasn’t shooting, Rob could coach Norm in the technical aspects of studio photography while he practiced keeping the musicians loose and comfortable.

Adding creativity to each photoshoot was a challenge. Rob said, “The first ones were easy. But as we went on, it got to make them look different.  There are only so many ways to hold a guitar.”

They got Jeremy to “leap and jump and prance” with his guitar. Norm said, “Jeremy showed us that deep inside his 50-year-old body is still that 18-year-old rocker.”  (Jeremy said he felt the effects for days.)

A real connection. The most valuable gift the photographers received was getting to spend time with the musicians they admired. They heard the musicians’ stories – of their lives and how they are navigating this strange new world of Covid-19.

For example, John Deshler, an accomplished horn player and photographer in his own right, and his son have started visiting remote greenspaces and parks – and just playing for whoever shows up. And the people always show up, no matter where they are. “That’s what people need now,” Rob said.

At 76 years old, Norman Sylvester is superbly careful about protecting his health. So rather than go into a studio, the photographers went to him.  They met at the Northeast Portland home where Norman grew up, and where his sister lives.

As Norm tells it, “Norman showed us the guitar his father had bought him from the five and dime,” years ago. “He also showed us a photo of his father holding that guitar on that porch where we were meeting. So, we took the same photo with Norman in the same position.”

While Norm was shooting, when bikers were passing by Norman Sylvester, who was posed sitting on a chair in the middle of the street.  “Rob was holding a strobe light in his hand, and without a word between us we knew the photograph we needed to make,” Norm said.

“The result is an iconic image of the gentrification of Northeast Portland.”

For us to look back on 2020.  “All the photographs are in black and white, which was a brilliant creative decision by Norm and Rob,” Jeremy said. “These two guys are creating a permanent visual record of a time none of us will ever forget. The portraits they have created remind us of the artistic light that continued to shine, even during this darkest of years.”

*The JWF Portrait Project 2020 was produced at no cost to The Jeremy Wilson Foundation. Photographers, Norm Eder, Rob Layman and Pro Photo Supply of Portland, OR covered all hard costs and donated their time, equipment and facilities to the project. The musicians have been given the right to use the photos in any way they wish as long as they credit the photographers.

See more portraits at: https://www.thejwf.org/who-we-help