Best Images of 2021

Melissa Mizell, design director and principal, Gensler was photographed for a story about office designs of the future

An irrigation canal on Loosely Ranch in Fort Klamath carries water precious to the survival of farmers, salmon and native tribes.

Farmer Scotty Fenters kneels on a dry garlic field near the Oregon - California border as talking about how he feels better water allocation could allow for continued agriculture if people were willing to compromise.

Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Read playing street basketball with his kids in front of his SW Portland home.

Danielle Elsener, founder of Decode, photographed in her Pearl District home studio where she designs zero-waste clothing.

Sarah Deumling, owner of Zena Forest outside of Rickreall, walking amoung her trees.

Having a drone allows me to gain a new perspective.  For our story about the logistical challenges of shipping goods their last mile to the destination, I photographed from 400 feet in the air the Northeast Portland train yard as it stretched towards downtown.

Emily Powell, CEO of Powell's Books photographed in the Purple Room of her family's book store in Downtown Portland.

Oregon's largest mall, the Lloyd Center, has been in decline for years.  Now, many days, it stands nearly empty awaiting new developments.  

Ray King of Top Level Design photographed at his Sherwood estate.  King said that he often works outside in the company of his pet pygmy goats.  

For our 100 Best Green Workplaces issue we wanted to conceptualize how the things have changed while working remotely.  We set up a desk in a park and our own office administrator Hindissa Ali served as our model.

Dairy farmer Steve Pierson of Sar-Ben Farms in St. Paul, Oregon, has a close connection with his cows. Pierson is also working to make farming more sustainable. 

Don Sampson, fisheries biologist of the Walla Walla tribe photographed on the banks of the Umatilla River in Pendleton.  According to Sampson, the Umatilla has seen a huge rebound in salmon populations since the implementiation of successful restoration policies including dam removal.

John Washington, CEO of Flossin Media and President of Portland's Soul District Business Association, photographed on the grounds of the now defunct Concordia University. Washington spoke about addressing Oregons racial health disparity. 

Lawyer Max Forer of Miller Nash, photographed outside his office in downtown Portland on SW 6th Ave.  Max is working in the new field of monetizing personal images for college athletes.

Patrick Allen, Director the Oregon Health Authority photographed eating breakfast at Fat Milo's restaurant near his home in Sherwood, Oregon.

Legacy Health is in the process of granting the land back to the community. The community has appointed eight people to serve on the Williams & Russell Project Working Group, the board tasked with guiding the land’s development.
Vicki Guinn, who leads public relations for Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, says the hospital’s decision to return the land was as much a financial decision as a moral one.

“The racial divide was evident at the start of the pandemic, when the pandemic peaked — and now as people are being vaccinated,” says Serena Cruz, executive director of the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, which operates five primary-care clinics in Washington and Yamhill counties. [Ed. note: Cruz has since changed employment.]

The pandemic worsened working conditions for veterinarians, who have been pushed to the brink with increased workloads. This photo shows a glimpse of the DoveLewis Emergency Room.  

Ladybug Academy, a Portland preschool, owner Angela Benson with co-owner Cory Davis at the groundbreaking for Ladybug's new facility on NE MLK.

Colt Gill, Director of the Oregon Department of Education, photographed standing among the tide pools where he enjoys hiking, in Seal Rock, Oregon.

Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, former literature professor at Lindfield University, photographed near his home in SW Portland. Holding a poster signed by many of his students to show appreciation for his work.

Spoken Moto in Bend, OR.  is both a cafe and a motorcycle shop. Mechanic Seth Buswell works on custom builds and motorcycle repairs in the an area in the back of the cafe.

Wells and Sons is vertically integrated with their own fruit packing facility.

Wells and Sons picker Javier Bibian has lost 26 pounds since the beginning of harvest season do to the strenuous work. He is paid by the bin of fruit he picks and earns $27 per bin.  Working quickly, he can pick 10 or more bins per day.

In 2021 we hired a new editor. Welcome Christen McCurdy!

Jeff Ratcliff, Chief Technical Officer at Northwest UAV Propulsion Systems in McMinnville, Jeff is holding a hydrogen fuel cell stack.  

Natasha Allen teaching a welding class at Lower Columbia College as the mid-part of her 18-hour work day.  She's proud of the fact that half of this 8-person class is female.

Monique Claiborne, president and CEO of Greater Portland, Inc photographed at GPI's office discussing her organization's tactics. 

Ships at the Port of Portland Terminal 6 being unloaded.  The Port has recently acquired new container ship clients.

Alex Strogen, Chief Commercial Officer or the Port of Vancouver, photographed on a loading dock on a foggy November morning. 

Farmer Phil Fine next to an irrigation pond that stores water for his growing season on his farm near Redmond.

Dr. David G. Lewis, Assistant Professor at OSU, and Grand Ronde tribal member, photographed in front of Willamette falls and the Blue Heron Paper Mill site in Oregon City.

Aerial photography provides a unique perspective of Willamette Falls between Oregon City and West Linn.  The falls have been purchased by the Grande Ronde tribe which plans to restore it to a more natural state. 

Members of the Portland Democratic Socialists of America join members of Commercial Workers Local 555 to support the thankfully short strike of Fred Meyer grocery stores. This photo was taken in the Hollywood neighborhood of Northeast Portland.