Photo Gallery: Best Images Of 2022


Jason E. Kaplan

Staff photographer Jason E. Kaplan shares his favorite images from 2022

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Before I start hitting the road to photograph Oregon in 2023, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the of the images from 2022 that stuck with me. This past year, I’ve had the opportunity see the far reaches of our state and photograph a wide array of fascinating people and places. Some of them included nursing assistants, shop owners, midwives, leaders of nonprofit organizations, young inventors, child actors, cheesemakers, students of skilled trades — and the President of the United States. 

The enviroments I’ve traveled to are as diverse as the people, working from Portland, to Coos Bay to Nyssa to Medford and many points in between. I’m always astonished by the variety of communities, climates and ways of life Oregon has to offer. I’ve had the privilege of capturing individuals in an assortment of settings, from farm fields to cheese factories to film sets and college campuses. I’m always deeply grateful to the people who allow me to capture a moment of their lives. 

I’ve compiled a selection of images from the past year that showcase the range of indivduals and organizations I’ve been able to visit this past year. It’s also worth noting that after a COVID hiatus, we have resumed in-person events to celebrate our 100 Best Companies, Nonprofits and Green Workplaces.  

Many of these photos have been published in Oregon Business or on our website, but a few are being shown here for the first time. 

— Jason Kaplan, Oregon Business staff photographer 

bestof2022 01Jared Hanley, CEO and founder of NatureQuant, was photographed on the Eugene campus of the University of Oregon. See story here.

bestof2022 02People get a little privacy for meetings at The Haven Co-Working space in Bend. Complete story here.  

bestof2022 03Ariel Puls posed for the February 2022 cover story about health tech. 

bestof2022 04Ryan Hashagen, founder and owner of Icicle Tricycles, was photographed in and near his company’s former location on NW Couch St. in Portland. Read about him here.

bestof2022 05Winemaker and owner of Abbey Creek Vineyard Bertony Faustin was photographed in his downtown Portland tasting room, The Crick PDX, on SW Morrison St. Read the story here.

bestof2022 06Shannon Vilhauer, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Oregon, kayaks in Scappoose Bay to unwind. See Downtime.

bestof2022 07Kerri Leathers, principal with Rogue Women’s Fund, was photographed in a downtown Portland coffee shop where she sometimes meets with other staff. Read here.

bestof2022 08Curtis Robinhold, executive director of the Port of Portland, was photographed at Terminal 2 (T2) near the site slated to be developed for modular home manufacturing. Read the story.

bestof2022 09Oregon Metro Chair Lynn Peterson chills with her three huskies on Mt. Hood. See story here

bestof2022 10Juan Munoz, owner of Munoz Building Center, spoke about the loss of local banking in Nyssa in this story.

bestof2022 11Nyssa, OR, seen from above. Many banks have left the rural Oregon town. Read about it here.

bestof2022 12PCC student Manny Jimenez worked toward a trades certificate. He was photographed for this story at the PCC trades center on Swan Island.

bestof2022 13President Biden made a brief visit to Portland to tout the passage of his infrastructure legislation. 

bestof2022 14Stephen Aiguier, president and founder of Green Hammer Design Build, coaches his daughter’s lacross team at Da Vinci Middle School in Portland in his Downtime.

bestof2022 15CNA Sam Browne has worked at Avamere in Beaverton. He was photographed near his home for this story.

bestof2022 16Midwife Nora Hawkins conducts a 36-week exam on client Rebecca Patton at her home in Enterprise in this story on midwifery.

bestof2022 17Midwife and educator Shafia Monroe photographed in her garden in Northeast Portland. Read the story here.

bestof2022 18Sarah Almuhanna demonstrates growing bee habitats from fungus at Invent Oregon at Rogue Community College in Medford.

bestof2022 19Jensen Barnes, founder of LoveHate Athletica and winner of Invent OR 2022 at Rogue Community College in Medford. 

bestof2022 20Lisa Zangerle, principal at SERA, swims with the River Huggers in the Willamette River in downtown Portland. See Downtime.

bestof2022 21Incoming PCC President Dr. Adrien Bennings was photographed during an interview in her office at the Sylvania PCC Campus. 

bestof2022 22Christine Smith, the founder of Grön cannabis edibles, holds a tray of edibles in its Portland production facility. Story here.

bestof2022 23Sascha N. McKeon, biology instructor and faculty union president at Blue Mountain Community College, was photographed on the BMCC campus in Pendleton for this story.

bestof2022 24Brittney Jackson, director of Pendleton Children’s Center, was photographed at the center’s new site construction for this story.

bestof2022 25Vin Shambry and Karter Halliday, who plays Shambry’s younger self in the movie Outdoor School, were photographed on set in Portland’s Columbia Park for this story.

bestof2022 26Karter Halliday being filmed for Outdoor School in Columbia Park in North Portland.

bestof2022 27Oregon Community Fund’s incoming president and CEO Lisa Mensah was photographed in her Portland office for this story

bestof2022 28Sarah Marcus is owner and cheesemaker at Briar Rose Creamery in Dundee, Oregon. Read the story here.

bestof2022 29A cow from Rogue Creamery dairy farm in Grants Pass, Oregon, was featured on the cover for this feature.

bestof2022 30Britt Howard, founder and creative director at Portland Garment Factory was photographed thrift shopping with her teenaged daughter at Mix Tape on Belmont in SE Portland. See Downtime.

bestof2022 31This year we celebrated the 100 Best Nonprofits to Work For in Oregon both online and in person.