Attention all Trystan Photography wedding clients from 2011:

Hear ye, hear ye! Now that Trig has managed to finish everyone’s photos from last year, it is now time for you to show-off a little!

We are ready for the world (Facebook) to vote on who has the best wedding image from 2011. But the choice of which photos will be considered is up to you, our 2011 brides and grooms.

THE RULES AND STUFF:

1. Submit your (1) favorite photo’s file-name to Trig for the contest no later that Friday 2/17/12 at 6pm. You must email Trig your file-name to trygve@trystanphotography.com.
2. Trig will post everyone’s choices into a special contest gallery that following Monday (2/20/12) on Trystan Photography’s Facebook Page.
3. Then, invite your all of your Facebook friends to come and support your wedding’s photo by inviting them to become a “fan” of the page so they can “like” your submission. Remember, you can only “like” one of our photos if you’re a “fan” of this page. If they aren’t a “fan” they can’t vote!
4. Our page’s 1862 fans will be voting as well…
5. The contest will close on Friday 2/24/12 at 6pm. The winners will be announced shortly thereafter.
6. Whoever has the most “likes” on their photo WINS!

Wins what?

THE PRIZES!

• 3rd Place: A free Traditional Portrait Session with Trystan Photography (a $150 value).
• 2nd Place: A $500 Gift Certificate to Trystan Photography, or a $100 Amazon Gift Card.
• 1st Place: A free Digital Age Portrait Session (all images included, a $700 value!), or a new Kindle Fire!

There you have it! We’re so proud of our work from last year, and we’re so grateful you chose us to capture your perfect weddings!

Thank you, and good luck!

The Legal Stuff:

2011 weddings only. Only one submission per wedding. Prizes cannot be returned/redeemed for cash value.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Heather and Matt’s wedding in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Well, aren’t we all a fine motley crew?

You see, Heather is Yvonne’s best friend from Iowa. You remember Yvonne and TL, right? From the last wedding I posted a couple weeks back?

Well, here’s how it all works out: we met Heather years ago through Yvonne. Many a Colorado night has been spent with this motley crew of Yvonne, TL, me, Charlotte (my wife), Heather, and any number of various combinations of other Iowans when Heather has come to town.

Enter Matt. We first met Matt in July of last year at Yvonne and TL’s wedding.

I think the most fascinating thing about Matt is his dichotomy. “What?”, you say? Let me explain: Matt has carefully crafted a very professional and mature outer appearance, the better to serve his myriad business interests and roles. Little did I realize, when I first met Matt at Yvonne and TL’s wedding in Iowa this year, that lurking beneath Matt’s carefully polished exterior was the soul of a rowdy party-animal.

Let’s just say this: Matt can party. Not a self-destructive, bury-your -sorrows-kind-of-party, but more of a joy-for-life, time-is-short-kind-of-party!

I will leave it at that. ; )

Heather and Matt are very surprising and inspiring as a couple. Let’s face it: it takes a pretty special kind ofperson who would rather battle it out in a hockey rink on the night before their wedding. Amazing. To see Heather out there, literally body-checking dudes twice her size, with out a single care the night before her wedding, was incredible. And then Matt’s out there, taking sizzling-shots on goal left and right, skating his butt off. Neither of them holding back.

In fact, that’s the best way I can describe the essence of Heather and Matt: neither of them ever hold back. In love, in life, in joy, in celebration, in risks, in loss, in pain and in growing together… never holding back.

That’s a pretty good recipe for a successful marriage, I think.

Hell, that’s a pretty good recipe for life.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Yvonne and TL’s wedding in Iowa.

TL, Yvonne, and Char are all Iowans, and even I lived there as a youngster (I consider myself Coloradan, of course).

TL is one of my best friends.

Yvonne is one of my wife Char’s best friends. (Careful viewers will notice Char is a bridesmaid and is sooooooooo beautiful).

The best thing about being our best friends is you get a fantastic price on your wedding photography!

The worst thing about being our best friends is I put your wedding on the back-burner… and you have to wait a really long time to get your images back.

I need to serve our loyal full-price clients first, right?

Right??

Well, that stretched on a little too far, as Yvonne got pregnant on her honeymoon night (that-a-boy, TL!), and she looks very pregnant now and we still didn’t have a full wedding processed for them… did I mention we’re now like two months away from a baby being born??

So, like I said, there are clear advantages to being really close friends with Char and I… and clear disadvantages.; )

Was this wedding one for the ages? Legendary. First, there is the fact that I was so much more than just “the photographer” for this one:

• I was the table and chair setter-upper.
• Light hanger and decorations hanger.
• All around beast-of-burden on the morning of the wedding.

Secondly, this one was the most “solo” weddings I’ve ever shot… no Char (she was in the wedding party for the most part) except for the bride & groom photos… and no assistants (as we were in Iowa)…

Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me.

Oh, did I mention it was 106°F with 100% humidity so the heat index was something absurd, like 116°F??? It was hot. Hellishly hot.

So here I am photographing the ceremony, and the church had no AC, and was even hotter inside than it was outside. I am running all over the place from altar to balcony to get full-coverage of the ceremony, and in the middle of it all: I have to give a reading! By the time we were at my moment-to-shine, I was dripping wet with sweat. I am sure the appearance of my sweaty, overweight form as I huffed my way through Yvonne and TL’s chosen reading was nothing but… inspiring?

Feel sorry for me, yet? I hope so: pity is the only thing I’ve got left to ward off the legendary ire of one Anthony (TL) Liddle. He’d been getting a little grumpy with me lately and pity was all I had to go on!

“Where’s our wedding photos, bro.”

“Really busy right now with other weddings, TL. You’re going to need to wait just a bit longer… remember the sweating and the light-hanging?”

But now the photos are finally done, they are gorgeous, and just in time for a new baby boy to arrive! I’m sure we’ll be taking those photos, too. Maybe they’ll be lucky and get those back by the time the little rug-rat’s in college! ; )

… to complete your perfect wedding with a stunning album!

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Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Kristine and Robert’s wedding at Shove Chapel in Colorado Springs.

We first met Robert forever-long ago (5 years??) when he was a groomsman at Bryan and Becky’s wedding (long enough ago that I don’t have a gallery of the wedding up anymore!).

Robert made quite an impression on me with his “Ray Charles impersonation” I caught while the boys were getting ready and he sat down at the piano in the parlor room at First United Methodist. It is still one of my favorite fun-photos of all-time. Therefore, it was deja-vu for both of us, 5 years later, when he and Kristine showed up for the initial consultation, and I knew… I had seen him before.

This is the best part: he had never put 2-and-2 together before the meeting, either. You see, we were meeting at our Denver studio, and as far as he remembered, Trystan Photography was a Colorado Springs photography studio (as Bryan and Becky’s wedding was in the Springs).

It only took a few questions for us to figure out why we were sure we’d met before.  I was very excited because I knew their wedding would rock.

And it did not disappoint: great wedding party (Bryan was a groomsman this time), great fun family, and great venue.

Ahh, Shove Chapel… how I love thee! Let me count the ways:

• Awe inspiring Gothic architecture
• deep moody shadows
• dramatic soaring altar and stage lighting
• huge classical pipe-organ

I love photographing weddings there. They always have such drama and grandeur.

The weather could have been a little better, though…

Just a little cold.

Really, bitterly, cutting cold.

But Kristine and Robert toughed it out (I did too in my Spyder ski jacket…). I really appreciate tough brides and grooms. Weather is always… ummm, “interesting” in Colorado, and if you can only handle a perfect blue-bird day on your wedding day, then you might be in for a rough haul in Colorado! Kristine knew better. She just laughed and smiled her way through. Awesome.

And when we needed to warm up, we would duck inside the chapel again, and it was during this time that I captured them “Tebow-ing” (if you’re not a Broncos fan… well, I’m sorry for you).

It was a perfect (cold) day, and Char and I are so honored to have been chosen to capture it for you two.

Thank you (and thank you Bryan and Becky for recommending us to Kristine!).

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Joy and Lukes wedding at Arrowhead Golf Course.

Mmmmmmm… Arrowhead Golf Course… what a fantastic little piece of heaven!

It really is something to contemplate the natural splendor of this place. Even though it is a golf course, the simple majesty of it all indues a sense of the spiritual. Even I could enjoy a round of golf there I think, and I am horrible.

We’ve always had fantastic weddings at Arrowhead. I think the backdrop alone plays a big part in that success: we are all very inspired.

Add that natural beauty to the authenitc love of Luke and Joy, then you’ve got something spectacular. I was especially touched by how openly emotional Luke was. He was overwhelmed with joy… for Joy. I always appreciate a man who can show hi emotions: I was a wreck on my wedding day!

This wedding also has a fantastic example of a pre-ceremony “reveal”, which is when the couple elects to see each other before the ceremony. We don’t just have them get ready, walk out, and we’re shooting. We like to “make a moment” of the reveal, and it never dissapoints. This wedding was the epitome of a great reveal.

Thank you Joy and Luke for trusting Charlotte and I to capture your perfect day. It was an honor and a privilege to document such love.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Lee and Jason’s wedding at Glen Eyrie Castle.

This was a fairytale dream wedding, and not only due to the fact it was at Glen Eyrie Castle, one of Colorado’s most inspiring locales. No, in fact, it was due to the fact that Lee and Jason are very chill people with very chill and cool families, and they held their reception before the wedding.

You read it right: they held their “reception” before Charlotte and I even arrived. Then everyone who was at the reception simply arrived at Glen Eyrie for the “getting-ready” and the ceremony. The bonus of this unique timeline is that it left more time for Charlotte and I to “play”.

I might be biased, but more time for your photographers to play and explore the gorgeous grounds with the couple can’t be a bad thing, right? I loved it.

Instead of rushing the couple off to a reception, we patiently played with the evening light and got some really great stuff.

Thank you Lee and Jason for trusting Char and I to capture your amazing wedding. It was a privilege and a pleasure.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Erin and Tom’s wedding at The Ridge at Castle Pines North.

Ummm… The Ridge at Castle Pines North is amazing. I had no idea these magnificent vistas were just a few miles off of I-25. Obviously,  other people do, because there were veritable castles built up around this golf course!

This is a jaw-dropping spot for a wedding.

It also helps when your daddy happens to run the place…

… that’s right, Erin’s father is the head honcho of The Ridge, so maybe Char and I got a little more leeway to play and take advantage than usual… but I don’t think so. ; )

This wedding was also special because it was the 3rd wedding we’ve worked at with CueMotion, the world’s best wedding cinematographers, (IMHO) who travel all the way to Colorado from Omaha, NE, to work these weddings. As soon as they put up the video to this shoot, I will post it here and on our Facebook page, just like I did with Jocelyn and Chase’s wedding (who happened to recommend Erin and Tom to us).

Finally, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Betsy, Erin’s mom, who has been one of our most ardent and vocal supporters (even before I finished the photos from the wedding!). Thank you so much for all of your support, Betsy. I am YOUR biggest fan.

And thank you Erin and Tom, for choosing Trystan Photography. It was a privilege and a pleasure to capture your wedding!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Logan and David’s wedding at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak.

First of all, let me please point out the obvious: THAT DRESS! Holy cow, what a classy number Logan’s dress was! Amazing.

And to make her vintage dress even more amazing is the fact that it was her grandmother’s dress, and two other women in her family have been married in that dress! So counting Logan, that makes 4 women who were married in that stunningly elegant dress.

Which bring to mind two questions:

1. Could we make a dress that durable and resilient today? I tend to doubt whether we could or not. Just seems like they made things better back then…
2. Could we make a dress that is a conservative style, but still elegant and sexy? Again, I think not: we’ve lost touch with the art of classy beauty like they had back then…

But I digress…

There are two other points I must mention about this amazing wedding.

1. Rowdy, rowdy, ROWDY! I love rowdy weddings, and this wedding was filled with so much joy that when the dancing started, the ballroom exploded. All generations, out there shaking their booties and living it up. I was awesome to behold.
2. Tough as nails. I know it may seem hard to believe, but Logan was really, really sick. It was either food poisoning from the couple days before, or a flu bug from Hell. In either case, she should have been in bed, if not at Urgent Care getting fluids. But like many heroic women before her, somehow, when the day got rolling and she said, “I do”, she found this inner reserve of stregth that floors me to this day. I cannot believe, looking at these photos, that Logan was sick as a dog. She really rose to the occasion, and I think she is simply stunning in these photos!

Thank you, Logan and David, for choosing us to capture your amazing day. You two are blessed to have such joyful and fun family and friends as we met on your wedding day. It was a privilege to be a part of it.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Kristen and Garrett’s wedding at The Clubhouse at Flying Horse.

I loved this wedding. There is nothing better than taking photos of beautiful people.

That’s a lie. There is something better: taking photos of two beautiful people who are madly in love with each other.

No wait… that’s still not it at all…

Let’s try again. There’s nothing better that taking photos of two beautiful people who are madly in love with each other and who have a fantastic love of life and humor?

That’s it!

Kristen and Garrett embodied this notion perfectly. He’s handsome, cool and laid back, and she’s elegantly beautiful… no, effortlessly stunning… you get the point. But together… whoa, baby. Watch out world!

But the best part? The laughter and the joy that these two exuded all day long. They were clearly so happy to be in love, to have finally found each other, and for this day to have come at last. What a blessing it was to photography this wedding.

However, I think the finest example of their humor is the video below, which they played at their reception. Yup. Right in the middle of the reception. In the middle of dinner, right after a lovely montage of childhood photos and the awkward teenaged-years, this surprising gem came on.

Then laughter, and more laughter.

I love this video. It is so unassuming, so zany, and so funny that the entire room was roaring. And the reason all the family and friends loved it so much? Because this video is Kristen and Garrett in a nutshell: confident, fun and not a bit self-conscious.

Sure, they can dress up real nice-like, but when it all comes down to it, they’re just as likely to chill on the couch together playing with their Apple iPad as gettin’ all “dolled up” and lookin’ fabulous!

So here’s to the warping video effect used so charmingly in the following video, and kudos to Kristen and Garret for being brave and funny enough to use it this well:

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Emma and Caleb’s joyous wedding at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church and The Inverness hotel.

HOT!

I just love when two normally mild-mannered people exude a passion when around each other. This is the case with Emma and Caleb. By themselves, they are cute and attractive people. But together, they attained this new quality… how should I describe it… well, there are no other words to adequately describe the photo above except: HOT!

The rest of the guests and staff at the Inverness Hotel in Denver were blushing, I’m sure…. and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Show off! Shout your love from the rooftops! Emma and Caleb were unabashed about their love for each other, and it makes photography so easy.

But they still had this sweet innocence to them, too. How is that even possible?

We should all be so lucky, right?

Congratulations, Emma and Caleb. Thank you for giving us the honor of capturing your perfect day!

One of my favorite fun photos of the year came at yesterday’s wedding at Arrowhead when little Matthew wanted absolutely nothing to do with photos with Luke, the groom. When Luke finally realized there was no calming the little guy, he made me bust a gut by simply joining him in the fuss!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Maya and Jason’s wedding at the Blackstone Country Club.

Elegance.

All I can think of when I look at Maya is “elegance”. It’s just something about her.

And then there was the way Jason looked at her. There was such deep, soulful passion there.

Photographing these two was pure magic.

But then there was the wind. Ahh, the wind. Are my blog posts getting repetive, yet? “Wind blowing” this, “gusts of wind” that…

Trust me, it was getting a little repetitive for Char and I, too. Wind makes people squint. Wind make hair whip about like its alive. Wind makes you tired (does anyone know why wind makes you tired, or is it just me?).

But Maya and Jason made the most of the wind. They knew how to “work it”. She let the wind toss her hair and made it sultry. He let the wind give him an adventurous look. No complaints, just smiles, love, and laughter…

… and elegance.

Thank you Maya and Jason for entrusting us with your perfect day!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Michalle and Ben’s elegant wedding at The Cliff House at Pikes Peak.

Heartbreaking elegance. Honest love. Authentic beauty.

These are the thoughts I have as I look through the photos of this amazing day.

It was a banquet for a photographer visually: they are beautiful together. It was a feast for the heart: the day was wrought with joy and emotion.

There were laughs of joy, and bittersweet tears. There were moments of quiet love and exuberant celebration.

It was a perfect wedding.

And we were honored to photograph it.

Thank you Machelle and Ben!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Jaime and Ryan’s wedding at The Air Force Academy (USAFA) Cadet Chapel and Cheyenne Mountain Resort.

Wow!

A gorgeous couple, a rowdy and fun loving-family, a perfect Colorado day, and all the time in the world to play and capture incredible photographs.

“All the time in the world?” you ask?

Yup. Jaime and Ryan booked us for our “Unlimted Day-of-Wedding Coverage” Package, which allowed them to have coverage as early and and late as they wanted. Char and I love “Unlimited Weddings”, because it gives us time to play and really get to know people.

“Play?” you ask?

Yes, “play”.

For example: I offer for your consideration a photo taken while the boys were hanging out and playing golf in the morning. Eating lunch and drinking a little… (just a little).

Oh, and did I mention that two of ‘em suddenly stripped down to their shorts and jumped into the rather cold lake at Cheyenne Mountain Resort?

And we were just 2 hours in… : )

That little bit of rowdiness set the tone for the whole day, which was a perfect example of abundant joy, exuberance, laughter and fun.

This wedding was so epic that Jaime was at the point of collapsing, nearly exhausted at the end of the party, which means it was a “job well done” by all!

Thank you Jaime and Ryan for choosing Charlotte and I to shoulder the incredible honor of capturing your epic wedding. We had a wonderful time!

Plus, you two look so great together it makes our jobs… almost easy.

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Jaclyn and Sam’s wedding at the USAFA Chapel and The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

June 2011 will be forever remembered as the month that the wind never stopped blowing, and blowing hard… or at least it did when we had a wedding.

Wind is such a pain. Hard wind is uncomfortable to stand in, and it can wreak havoc on hair and wedding dresses. We would really prefer to not have any wind, but as we have been photographers in Colorado for 8 years now,  we’ve grown quite used to wind.

There are two things that make it easy to cope with high winds in wedding photos, 1) the patience to wait for a break in the wind to capture the least wind-buffeted shot, and 2) a bride with the world’s best attitude.

And we got that in Jaclyn and more! Her smile never stopped beaming and her energy never waned, which was simply contagious amongst the wedding party.

And as you can see, a well-timed shot with the wind playfully adds a little drama!

Thank you Jaclyn and Sam for trusting us to capture your perfect day. It was so much fun!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Jaclyn and Eddie’s wedding in picturesque Telluride, CO.

Ah, Colorado…

It’s so easy to photograph beautiful people in beautiful places…

…except when it isn’t so easy. I know: write that down. But it’s true.

You see, while this wedding was taking place in one of the world’s most picturesque ski towns, Telluride, Colorado had decided to be very unpredictable. While the sun was shining, and the trees were beginning to bud and green, what the photos don’t show is the fact that it was basically still winter there… in late May.

Jaclyn was a trooper. Her original ceremony venue? Still under a couple feet of snow. Her new venue? Surrounded by snow. And on the mountain, it was windy. Really, really windy.

Oh, and did I mention that this was when New Mexico and Arizona were basically on fire this year? So the incredible views were hazed over by smoke.

But Char and I have seen it all, and we knew there is always a silver lining.

So we were simply patient with the wind and waited for breaks between gusts to shoot, and the haze? What a blessing! The filtered sinlight from the smoke in the air is stunning in the photographs we captured.

The cold..? Well, we can only do so much: it was still chilly at points. But that’s when kick-ass attitudes are priceless, and Jaclyn and Eddie had great attitudes.

We’ve had Jaclyn as a client for years and years, and Char and I were so honored when she choose us to capture her stunning wedding to Eddie.

Thank you, both of you. It was a blast!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite photos from Casey and Martin’s wedding at the Boulder OSMP Halfway House.

At Casey and Martin’s wedding, her father told me about the day he almost lost his daughter.

One day long ago, Casey almost died.

I think her father told me it was a car wreck.

Apparently, she ended up under the car, and thought, “This can’t be the end. I’ve done nothing I’ve wanted to do…”

Needless to say, Casey didn’t die, and once she mended she suddenly informed he family that she was going to do everything she’d every wanted. Inlcuding seeing Europe.

So Casey (already a free-spirit) up and left on a short trip to Europe… and never came back.

What was supposed to be a simple short tour of Europe turned into a year, then two…

Then sent word home: she’d fallen in love, in Prague. She’d met a devilishly-handsome young man named Martin, with the same mischevious glint in his eye and lust for life as she had.

Fast-forward to their wedding day, I can tell you that their joie de vivre was palpable, and made taking their photographs an absolute joy.

We all should have such awakenings.

We all should have such love for life!

Please click the image or follow the link to view our favorite photographs from Sarah and Steve’s wedding at The Garden of the Gods.

Simplicity.

Simplicity is a rare gem in a world of seemingly more complex social networks, gaudy fashions, and too-busy-for-life-lifestyles.

Sarah and Steve are two of those rare souls who are not seduced by the “bigger is better” mentality of our age, and managed to put together the perfect wedding day, based on one unshakable truth: they are in love.

Not even the most opulent ballroom can match the natural majesty of The Garden of the Gods.

All the wedding guests in the world can’t amount to the priceless value of your mother being in attendance after being diagnosed with brain cancer. Sarah thought for a while her mother might not even still be alive by her wedding date.

Anytime you ever put the simple things of life up against the gaudy or complex, simple wins out… every… time.

Stunning love and stunning photos. We are so grateful to have been able to capture this amazing day for you two. Thank you Sarah and Steve!

Please click the photo or follow the link to view our favorite moments from Kris and Jay’s wedding at The Holy Rosary Chapel and The Flying Horse Club.

Those of you who have known about Trystan Photography for a while know that I am a pretty dedicated blogger about our weddings and sessions, and about being active on Facebook.

You might have noticed some cobwebs growing around here this year.

That’s because my wife, business partner, creative genius, and general spirit behind Trystan Photography almost died in January, and life has been pretty interesting since!

Charlotte, my lovely wife of 6 years, had a stroke.

Yup, a stroke. While she was driving. With my 4 year-old son, Trystan, in the back seat.

Luckily, she did not crash the car and managed to get it (kind of) out of traffic by stopping across the entrance of our local Barnes & Noble. At least Trystan was safe.

By the time I got the phone call, the EMT were already on scene. They were pretty sure whe had suffered some kind of stroke and advised me to take her to the ER. That’s right, I drove her to the ER. No big deal, right? Can’t be too serious if I can drive her myself, right?

Wrong. Within an hour of arriving at the ER she was on a Flight for Life helicopter on its way to Swedish Memorial in Denver. I guess it was serious after all.

Turns out, my extremely active wife, had suffered a vertebral artery dissection (VAD) while doing yoga the weekend before.

She’d known she was hurt. We didn’t know it was a torn artery, but we definitely knew she had hurt her neck. It was excruciating. She described it as “someone stabbing” her neck. We immediately went to the Urgent Care, but it was misdiagnosed as a neck strain or torn muscle. The only way to detect a VAD is by CT-scan. The only reason they would order a CT is if she had stroke symptoms.

Consequently, Char lived for about 5 days with this ripped artery clotting inside one of four main arteries feeding her brain, and then finally the clot got so big and unstable she threw a clot and stroked. Then the ER docs knew to order a CT.

So basically having a stroke saved her life. Huh, ironic, isn’t it?

I was shocked. As I watched them load my wife, doped out of her mind because of the pain and fear, into the helicopter, I couldn’t process that I had just kissed her goodbye as she ran to the store 3 hours earlier. How could she possibly be dying? How could she possibly be paralyzed? How could she possibly have trouble communicating? She was just fine a few hours ago…

From that moment on, life has been… interesting.

We spent 4 days in the Neurological Unit of Swedish as they treated the clot and she stabilized. It was really scary. At any moment she could have thrown more clots and caused even more damage to her brain. We didn’t know how much damage had been done, if she would have any lasting effects… (please continue to page 2…)