I had a shitty day today, and it is kinda not over, but i had this thoughts in my head since last Sunday so...
Gifts. Traditionally we give gifts for birthdays, namedays, anniversaries... but i always "hated" that "you need to buy something for that and that day" and most of the times it ends up more or less bla. Now that i am thinking i don't like buy any of the stuff when i kinda have to, so maybe it is me and not gifts :). Never mind, my philosophy of gifts was always that it is not when it needs to be but when it happens. And when it happens, most of the time that are the best gifts you got or give.
To start this story i need we need to go back to end of May. May was unusually hot this year, and that morning was not different. I was going to Tancuj Tancuj (slovak traditional folklore festival in Serbia) early in the morning. As morning was hot i did not take any clothes then the t-shirt that i was wearing (tripod, camera, lenses, who wants to drag along a jacket or sweatshirt). As we got in to the bus it started raining. Started talking who has what to wear and who thought to take an umbrella :). As i said that i brought nothing, Vlasto (from Vlasto and Saccharines) said he has a shirt and poncho. As i would never fit in his shirt, poncho it was. (Ponchos in Serbia are not really a thing :) ). As we stopped for a break, it was like 10 degrees Celsius and i had to test the poncho out with all the jokes how good it fits me :D.
Of course it was hot all day, but from that joke i got a poncho as a Gift, with a promise that i would wear it.
no poncho needed :)
As when folded nice it perfectly fits to my camera backpack where the laptop should be, that is where it ended up, and the poncho saga begins.
I was on the photoshoot and friend had white pants and the ground was not that clean, well i have a poncho in my camera bag.
Few weeks later, i was driving my sister to Belgrade (she lives there) and while i was there it started raining. When i left to get to my car at the parking lot it started end of the world raining. Water on some points of the parking lot was almost to my knees. I got soaking wet till i got to my car, but guess what, i had my camera bag with me, and in the bag there was, you guess Poncho :)
If you got to this part of the text you should feel privileged or traumatized as you will see this photo :) i think i will delete it before the 7 days of posible editing past. Not sure if i want it to be on the blockchain forever and ever :D
Now if you wondered what has that photo of stars from the beginning of the post to do with anything (probably not but i can imagine that you do :) ).
Last Sunday i went for a little trip of maybe 2 hours drive to visit and photograph a church build in 12 century, located in the middle of nowhere. First thought i will photograph a sunset with it but sunset was not that great, so decided to stay and try to make some stars photos with it.
Do you know what you can do in the middle of nowhere, alone, in the dark, while you let your camera to take 300 photos of long exposure?
Well you could get Poncho out of your camera bag, lay it on the ground and enjoy this kind of view.
Maybe you could not if someone would wait for your birthday, anniversary or whatever.
That is why you should not give Gifts when you suppose, but when it feels right.