31-III-2018.

The wedding in Irig. A lady from burundi is getting married to some guy, and she announced it in the topic called "how I discovered sex with 15 years' delay". She didn't start the topic, one other girl did. Then she was looking for a string band (i.e. tambour band), and the forum obliged. Then the photographer. That was provided as well, but I made a remark that I prefer to be the 2nd shooter, without obligations, just have fun and shoot around, behind the scenes, faces, ambience, details. My intention was that this is what I like to do and I guessed they'd have a friend who does that. But no, got a message "you're hired" (details 09-II-2018.).

A dozen emails later we had a plan and it worked swimmingly. I arrived at the restaurant on time, met the other photographers (one guy from Novi Sad, photo; a couple from Niš, video), had a snack and coffee with them, sitting outside. We all had Canon cameras - mostly 6D, mine was newer but lower class - a eos70, high amateur. The guy didn't bring proper braces for his flashes, so I got out the bungee cords from the saxo and it saved the day. Then the young couple arrived and we started shooting around. At about 16:15 I drove off to Vrdnik, where we had rooms in the hotel (fancy shmancy spanking new, smoking on terrace only, spa, steam etc etc - of course the intention was just to have a lie down and to evaporate the alcohol so I can drive home in the morning). Just left the car there and called for a cab, but none would arrive before 17:00 which was kind of late, the ceremonies would begin by then. So a desk assistant with a funny accent offered to drive me. Turns out he is from Tunisia and got married here. Tought of paying him a 1000 but he asked 1500. Gave him 2000 in the end, he was so entertaining.

For the most part I let the official shooters take position wherever they wanted, they have a job and I'm having fun. For the signing, they were in front of the couple and behind the lady from the matricular office - so I stood in the back, and caught very good shots of the important moments when they were turned to each other - the ring exchange, the kiss, the embraces with the witnesses.

Actually got so busy shooting that I barely ate anything (well, just enough, and one piece of cake), just stole a couple more ćevapčići along the way later, and didn't get around to have a drink until 19:20 or so. But it was a very good quince - the owner's own, and we almost got into upending each other on the best ways to make brandy... but I settled for just two more of these :). I did bring a bottle of our last year's apricot as a gift to the couple.

This other girl who started the 15 years topic was also there - the only other person I knew (and finally met), so we talked a bit, shot a selfie with her phone, but then she didn't know how to publish it to the forum from the phone. Did that on monday and we did get some comments ("you're both so cute! I want to look like him when I come into his years" - "ah come, come freely, you're invited!").

By midnight, the rain was in full swing and nobody was out much for smoke breaks*, even the regular company that I already had. The dance went through unexpected turns, the bride seems like she did folk dances at some point, there was even a proper čoček (though historically the čoček dancers were male...), very close to belly dance, with costume change (bride in shalwars and a jelek, one other lady in full folk costume with opanci), all the way to the band hitting us with EKV (!). Made an excellent series of three shots when one of the three girls with short blue dresses (cousins to each other, it seems) got her shoes off, because they were the tall transparent plastic jobs and she had a nice blister on her pinky toe. She walked barefoot on the ground gravel, in the rain, to the cars. I had my hat and a moment of panic, when I got lost from the video couple, who were my transport to the hotel, and I was their guide, having scouted the road in the afternoon. Well they too thought they lost me... When we got there we sort of wanted to get downstairs to have a drink, but they saw the bed and suddenly felt how tired they were.

The room was standard but... new standard. The key is not the kind you insert, now it's the RFID kind that you touch to the sensor and it unlocks the door. And then there's another sensor inside and it turns on the lights. Then the lights fade and die in ten seconds. Tried it a few times, just enough to find things in the bathroom. Turned on the TV, which didn't turn itself off so easily, though it would go black after it ran the demo (didn't watch anything but the demo, and that was for the other big hotel in Vrdnik). Used that to remove the extra pillows and settle for the smallest. Had a smoke and went to sleep.

In the morning, the guy from Tunisia was around when I left the room, so I complained about the lights, and he showed me - the inside sensor is actually a pocket, so you leave the keycard inside and the lights stay on as long as the card is in. Yeah, right, so counterintuitive until you learn. Room which needs a manual, bullshit.

Drove home, through Petrovaradin again. Funny to see the same streets after 40 years, somewhat changed but not too much. Just enough that I couldn't recognize the corner where we had a room back in 1976/77.

Back home I about the hotel and we decided we won't stay in any hotels if we can avoid it. Two weeks later we started looking for camps, tents and stuff.

A post festum note: the cash I raised at a serekeš before leaving town, now didn't come with extra 12€ cost (which was still better than at other ATM's), it was back to below 2€ like it was years ago. Probably because bank changed owners, the new one being the same (well somewhere upstairs) as the one issuing my card. Few months later they'd start charging me extra 500 RSD, which is still better - about 6€ compared to those 12. Well, that's the cost of delivery, I guess.

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* the reason for no smoking insied was explained later with bride's pregnancy; restaurants of this kind generally have just a few tables as a non-smoking zone, separated at best with an imaginary dividing line

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Mentions: 09-II-2018., 25-V-2019., burundi, ćevapčići, eos70, saxo, serekeš, in serbian

19-IV-2018 - 16-VII-2026