Scanning through the more than 3,000 images I submitted to my editor at the Beacon this year, it struck me that my favorite frames are the ones that evoke emotion. They weren’t necessarily the most well composed pictures or the ones with the best light, but they were the ones that kept me thinking long after I finished looking at them.
Whether it’s a funny frame or an image that brings tears, the best pictures are ones the viewer connects with on an emotional level. If you are in awe, laughing, crying or celebrating while looking through this collection, I feel like I have done my job connecting you to the history we witnessed in the Flathead this year.
As a photojournalist for a newspaper embedded in this community, I have the privilege of meeting many new people each day. I get to listen to their stories and learn how they shape this place we call home. I am fortunate to enjoy a front-row seat to history in the valley, and I strive to pass that view along to you.
Greg Lindstrom
Senior Christian Evans led Bigfork to the school’s first boys basketball state title with a 71-62 over Columbus. The Vikings finished a perfect season at 26-0. Evans is pictured Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jack Fairchild performs rope tricks during the parade at the 55th annual Whitefish Winter Carnival on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Whitefish welcomes Olympian Maggie Voisin during a parade on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Bigfork huddles before the game. Bigfork beat Huntley Project 68-56 on Friday, March 14, 2014. For more photos visit www.FlatheadBeacon.com. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Josh Sandry, center, celebrates with teammates after the game. Bigfork beat Columbus 71-62 on Saturday, March 15, 2014, to win the Class B state championship at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse in Bozeman. For more photos visit www.FlatheadBeacon.com. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Water meanders out of Ninepipe Reservoir as the sun sets after a passing spring storm on Sunday, March 30, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Chris Fritz works on his farm north of Kalispell on Tuesday, April 1, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Barton Slaney celebrates a successful run during the ninth annual pond skim competition at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Saturday, April 5, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Columbia Falls senior Alex Presnell, pictured for Best of Preps on Thursday, April 10, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Leon Wilcox, right, hands an arrow to Tyler Vanorny as they check scores on a target during the 29th annual Lone Pine Shoot on Sunday, April 27, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Gov. Steve Bullock takes a "selfie" with 100-year-old Kalispell resident Virginia Ophus on Tuesday, May 6, 2014. A group of centenarians were honored by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services during the 46th annual Governor's Conference on Aging. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Mark Kornick, hatchery manager for the FWP, shows the small eggs from a female Arctic grayling near Rogers Lake on Friday, May 9, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jonathan Longden's muddy fingers cling to the top of a 7-foot wall during the second annual Montana Spartan Sprint on Saturday, May 10, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Racers charge up a hill through a smoke cloud at the start of the second annual Montana Spartan Sprint on Saturday, May 10, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Hannah Brinton hugs her sister, Baylee, before the commencement ceremony for Flathead Valley Community College on Friday, May 16, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jack Parker looks over a 1939 Dodge pickup at Glacier Street Rod Association's swap meet and car show at Montana Raceway Park on Saturday, May 17, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Fort Hungry Horse in the Canyon on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Local legend Mountain Man Reggie has a lot of stories about his life and he’ll share a few of them with you on a barstool at the Packers Roost or in his front lawn throwing tomahawks into a battered wooden target. He’s also got a story about how he fell in love when he first arrived in Northwest Montana 16 years ago. “I’ve been in every state in the union and I saved the best for last,” he said. “I fell in love with this place.” Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
The 39th annual Bigfork Whitewater Festival on Saturday, May 24, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Mike Billedeaux walks through a field Thursday, May 29, 2014, where his family lived during the flood of 1964. It was the first time Billedeaux had revisited the place since the flood. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Brash summer rodeo series in Columbia Falls on Thursday, May 29, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Todd Ogden - Best of Preps at Legends Stadium on Wednesday, June 4, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
All workers are safe after an explosion hit the Plum Creek Timber Co. medium density fiberboard plant in Columbia Falls on Tuesday, June 10, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
A firefighter during a training exercise. Beacon file photo
John Walsh leads the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance at the U.S. Senate debate at Montana Tech in Butte on Saturday, June 14, 2014. In July, the New York Times published a story saying he had plagiarized a paper while at the U.S. Army War College in 2007. Within a few weeks, Walsh dropped out of the race against Congressman Steve Daines and was replaced by political newcomer Amanda Curtis, who lost to Daines in the November election. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Rhonda Hendricks is consoled by her husband Doug at the top of Logan Pass. Working with Xanterra Parks and Resorts and the National Park Service, Rhonda’s friends and family were able to secure her a spot on the first Red Bus trip of the season. The Kalispell woman was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003 and had been battling the disease for a decade when she found out earlier this year that a tumor had formed on her stomach. A specialist said it was unlikely she could beat the disease and she was put in hospice care. “Whenever I cross into Glacier, all of my cares just fade away,” Rhonda said. “This is such a blessed place.” Rhonda passed away in September. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Leroy Eash competes in the saddle bronc at the Brash Rodeo Blue Moon summer series in Columbia Falls on July 10, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Kylee Skelton, of Columbia Falls, adjusts her hat at the Brash Rodeo Blue Moon summer series in Columbia Falls on July 10, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Mountain goats wander the ridge leading to the summit of Mt. Aeneas in the Jewel Basin on July 13, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jim Kelley, left, and other members of the crew of the J-Walker put up the sails after the Tuesday night race league with the North Flathead Yacht Club on July 15, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Alpine Theatre Project's rehearsal for "The Who's Tommy" on July 19, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Colorful rain gear stands out from a soggy scene along the Middle Fork Flathead River near Marias Pass on July 20, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Angela Grzywinski rides Novelle through the cross country course during The Event at Rebecca Farm on July 26, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Kailey Schrader makes a diving attempt to grab a pig as she and her teammates, the Pigstones, try pig wrestling at the Northwest Montana Fair on August 15, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Captain Jason Curtis, a 1999 Flathead High School graduate, watches a fellow pilot's practice run with U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds in preparation for the Mountain Madness Airshow on August 28, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Members of the Riveting Rosies call out directions after their heat during the third annual Montana Dragon Boat Festival at Flathead Lake Lodge on Sept. 13, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Fall colors along the North Fork Flathead River on Oct. 2, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Participants toss colored cornstarch into the air after the second annual Pink Me Up color run in Kalispell on Oct. 5, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jill Morley hugs her daughters, Makena, left, and Bryn after the pair finished first and second in the Class B race. The MHSA cross country championships at Bill Roberts Golf Course in Helena on Oct. 25, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
A runner rests his legs after the race. The MHSA cross country championships at Bill Roberts Golf Course in Helena on Oct. 25, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Columbia Falls' Samantha Mundel is lifted into the air by Whitefish's Sarah Latcham after the pair finished first and second in the Class A race. The MHSA cross country championships at Bill Roberts Golf Course in Helena on Oct. 25, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jeffrey Funk works in his metalworking shop outside Bigfork on Oct. 28, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Senior Meagan Seliger is consoled by a teammate after the game. Laurel defeated Columbia Falls 2-1 in the Class A championship at Columbia Falls High School on Nov. 1, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Eric Hummel, a private attorney who is filling in as Justice of the Peace, weds the first gay couple at the Flathead County Courthouse on Nov. 20, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Head coach Grady Bennett pumps up his team in the locker room before the game. Kalispell Glacier defeated Great Falls CMR 56-19 in the Class AA state championship game on Nov. 21, 2014. For more photos visit www.FlatheadBeacon.com. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Glacier's Jaxen Hashley (40) puts pressure on Big Sky's Luke Entzel. Glacier beat Missoula Big Sky 42-8 in the Class AA semifinal game at Legends Stadium on Nov. 14, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Jacob Janke (87) and Logan Jones (28) douse head coach Grady Bennett with ice water. Kalispell Glacier defeated Great Falls CMR 56-19 in the Class AA state championship game on Nov. 21, 2014. For more photos visit www.FlatheadBeacon.com. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
A snowboarder is silhouetted against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks and low-hanging clouds at the summit of Whitefish Mountain Resort on opening day on Dec. 6, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Stacie Burkett eats fire during Whitefire's performance at the Whitefish Christmas Stroll on Dec. 12, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon
Detective Steve Hughes impersonates batman while looking for T-shirts with Derek Copp at Target in Kalispell on Dec. 17, 2014. Greg Lindstrom | Flathead Beacon