Flathead Beacon photographers Hunter D’Antuono, Justin Franz and Greg Lindstrom recorded a myriad of notable happenings from 2019 in the Flathead and beyond.
This year’s collection of photos range from the newsworthy to the experimental, from instances of unguarded human emotion to intense exercises in sculpting light.
The annual photo-selection process is no minor task, but from an ocean of pixels composed of hundreds of thousands of captured moments, a handful of frames eventually bob to the surface. Here’s a look at 2019 through the lenses of the Beacon’s photographers.
Hunter D'Antuono
Crowds watch fireworks over Whitefish Lake on July 4, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Mavis Whitford wheels children into the lobby of Kalispell Regional HealthCare’s new Montana Children’s Medical Center on July 1, 2019. Kalispell Regional HealthCare opened its new Montana Children’s Medical Center building with a parade of patients, hospital staff and families into the new facility. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Evening sunlight casts the shadow of a honeybee on the petals of poppy flower in Somers, Montana on June 12, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Carl Levitt, a resident of the Columbia Falls Montana Veterans home, gives a thumbs up from his seat on the Lady of the Lake on June 14, 2019. Members of the home were treated to an afternoon boat cruise on Whitefish Lake. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Band of Horses performs at Under the Big Sky, a new music festival held on Big Mountain Ranch outside of Whitefish, Montana on July 13 and 14, 2019.
Mike Murray's band performs at Under The Big Sky in July 2019. Hunter D'Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Jenny Lewis performs at Under the Big Sky, a new music festival held on Big Mountain Ranch outside of Whitefish, Montana on July 13 and 14, 2019.
A festival-goer takes a nap in the grass at Under the Big Sky, a new music festival held on Big Mountain Ranch outside of Whitefish, Montana on July 13 and 14, 2019.
Dominica Esperas of the Hula School of the Peaceful, Heavenly, Flowing Waters performs at The Columbia Falls Market at The Coop on July 18, 2019. The market is held on Thursday evenings through the summer.
A Mudman Burgers stand, run by Potter’s Field Ministries, as seen off of US Highway 93 south Whitefish, Montana on July 23, 2019. The ministry and its popular burger chain closed its doors over allegations of abuse by ministry leaders against its workers. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Rae Anne Bromgard bats at Miracle League field at the Kidsports complex in Kalispell on July 24, 2019. The field is designed for children and adults with special needs. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
The night sky off of Highway 2 west of Kalispell on Nov. 20, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
The entrance to The Ranch for Kids campus in Rexford, Montana on July 26, 2019. Montana state officials removed 27 children from the treatment facility for troubled youth on July 23, 2019 after allegations of abuse against the children by ranch staff.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr attends a roundtable discussion with local law enforcement on combatting Montana’s meth crisis in Kalispell on Nov. 22, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
A fire dancer performs with the fire-dancing troupe Whitefire during the annual Christmas Stroll in downtown Whitefish on Dec. 6, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Keagan Zoellner works with 8-month-old Cleo, Whitefish Mountain Resort's newest avalanche dog, on Jan. 24, 2019.
Angie Tennison on her riverfront property south of Kalispell at dusk on Oct. 23, 2019. Tennison is a contestant in the “Ultimate Extreme Huntress” competition. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Pond Skim at Whitefish Mountain Resort on April 6, 2019. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Dale Mortieau hugs his wife Lisa and daughter Morgan after being deployed in Afghanistan for nine months. Justin Franz | Flathead Beacon.
A grassfire on the west side of Kalispell on April 16, 2019. Justin Franz | Flathead Beacon
Montana Gov. Steve Bullock is pictured at his campaign headquarters in downtown Helena after announcing his run for president on Tuesday, May 14, 2019. He is the 22nd Democrat to enter the 2020 presidential race. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
The seasonal launching of the historic DeSmet by the Glacier Park Boat Co. on Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park on May 8, 2019. The DeSmet is the company’s flagship vessel in its fleet of wooden touring boats. It has cruised the waters of Lake McDonald for nearly 90 years. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Ryan Lamb wipes away tears as he gives his testimony in Flathead County District Court on June 10, 2017 on day six of his trial. Ryan Lamb is charged with felony deliberate homicide after being accused of stabbing his partner Ryan Nixon on Aug. 5, 2018. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
The carnival by night at the Northwest Montana Fair in Kalispell on August 15, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Joshua Skunkcap performs a dance before the start of the Leroy Skunkcap Memorial Championship Race at Northwest Montana Fair in Kalispell on August 17, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
A rich magenta-hued sky reflects off the placid waters of McGregor Lake at sunset on Nov. 2, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Early morning sunshine filters through frost crystals on blades of grass near Batavia west of Kalispell on Sept.30, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Ruby Hadley, age 11, of Montana Wild Wings handles Olive, a saw whet owl, as Olive stares up at Ruby at the Lone Pine State Park Visitor Center in Kalispell on Aug. 22, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Matt Culley, a local vaping advocate who has made a career of producing vaping-related online content, demonstrates a vaping device in Kalispell on Oct. 11, 2019. On Oct. 8, Montana Gov. Steve Bullock enacted a 120-day ban on the sale of flavored vaping products. The ban goes into effect on Oct. 22. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
A light bulb bursts upon impact with a concrete driveway. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Hunter D’Antuono of the Flathead Beacon won best feature photo for this image of highland heifers at Flathead Farms off of West Valley Drive in Kalispell.
A waxing crescent moon sets along Highway 2 west of Kalispell at dusk on Oct. 1, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Crowds of trick-or-treaters ply downtown Whitefish for candy on Oct. 31, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Laboratory Technician Michelle Huff flash-freezes marijuana flowers with liquid nitrogen at Stillwater Laboratories on August 29, 2019. Stillwater Laboratories tests medical marijuana products from around the state of Montana at their state-of-the-art facility in a remote location north of Whitefish. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Jimmy Reed of Whitefish paddle boards through a rapid on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River near Belton Bridge in West Glacier on Sept. 5, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Don Schrader of Salt Lake City is pictured in a full complement of traditional Bavarian garb at the 10th annual Great Northwest Oktoberfest at Smith Fields in Whitefish on Sept. 28, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Competitors paddle hard across Bigfork Bay during the Montana Dragon Boat Festival in Bigfork on Sept. 7, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Karen Feather of Coram walks down Main Street in Kalispell to join dozens gathered in Depot Park for a climate change strike on Sept 20, 2019. Similar demonstrations were held around the country and the world on Friday as a call to business and political leaders to do more to address climate change. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Ruth Duffey sits in a giant bin of hops at Great Northern Brewing Company in Whitefish on Sept. 10, 2019. Members of the public brought their homegrown hops in exchange for beer at the annual “Hop Swap.” The hops from the community are used to produce a special brew. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
A herd of bighorn sheep pick their way over mounds of waste rock at the Elkview open pit coal mine on Sept. 25, 2019 in Sparwood, British Columbia. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
A lump of metallurgic, or steel-making, coal from Teck Coal’s Elkview Operations open pit mine in Sparwood, British Columbia is pictured on Sept. 26, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Fall foliage off of South Fork Road east of Martin City on Oct. 17, 2019. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
