The reward of photographing Zubiri

Two months ago, the Zubiri Council decided that Vidondo would be the one to launch the rocket. “We all know each other in the village, they must have thought of me because I promote Zubiri on my social networks,” he adds. Begoña Cantero, the council’s mayor, was the one who informed him that he had been selected to launch the rocket from the Rabia bridge.

“When the CD Ibararte futsal team was in the Second B, many people asked me to go and take photos and tell them how the match was going,” he says. Vidondo takes the photos for himself, but if someone asks him for one, he doesn’t hesitate to give them to them.

The photographer’s mother was from Zubiri, “which is not easy because there are a lot of people from outside here. It is the largest town in the area, even though it has 500 inhabitants,” he says. But he says that it is a very transit town, with a lot of different people. “It’s not a typical town where everyone knows each other. You go to the square and you see different people every day, from other places. It’s very nice.”.

Vidondo explains that he likes that they have thought of him, but that at the same time he is nervous about launching the rocket. “I still can’t visualise the moment, the mayor called me yesterday and asked me if I was going to say a few words, ‘if I can, yes’, I replied. I don’t know how I’m going to react,” he says. The man from Zubiri will wish happy holidays in Basque and Spanish. “I know that there are people who come to the rocket launch just because I launch it, people from Aoiz and my family,” the launcher admits. Vidondo says that he has been asked several times to see who will take the photos at the moment of the rocket launch. “I might take a selfie anyway.”he jokes.

Over time, the chupinazo and the festivities have evolved, she says. “More and more people come. Twenty years ago, the mayor or mayoress would throw it and it would end. My sister also threw it a few years ago,” she adds.

“The village photographer”

The Photography It is one of the great passions from Vidondo and it is something that he has always liked. So much so that when he retires he will collect all the images he has of the town, “If necessary, I will donate them”he adds. He never considered dedicating himself to photography because it was too late. “I would have liked to, but I am happy with what I do now,” admits Vidondo, a worker at a company in Aoiz.

The photographer has a lot of archives of many people from the town “who are no longer here, unfortunately.” Most of the images are taken with his mobile phone. “I don’t go around with a camera,” he says. Then he uploads the photos that he knows won’t bother anyone to his social networks. “It’s not the same to post on Facebook as on my status, which I know my contacts will see,” he explains. Vidondo says that it’s a very nice thing because “People in the village have internalized that I take the pictures. Everyone knows that I am the one who takes the photographs.”. In addition, in Zubiri there are many pilgrims who pass through the town doing the Camino de Santiago “you can take lots of photos of them”, he adds.

Health care

His other great passion is the soccer and especially health. At first, Vidondo I intended to launch the rocket with the red jersey onbut in the end he decided on a T-shirt with the name of the town “because there are a lot of kids who are going to wear that,” he explains. In fact, the rocket launcher I had ordered a Hawaiian shirt with the Osasuna logo on it from a website. “If it had reached me, I would have launched the rocket with it on. I think I’ve been scammed for 37 euros, because I ordered it a month and a half ago and it hasn’t arrived.“, ends.