Breast Wedding Ever

Josh D. Weiss Photography

Atlanta, Ga. – Weddings, Portraits, Sports, Editorial, Commercial

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Athens Banner-Herald

By Josh D. Weiss ⋅ October 25, 2009 ⋅

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Filed Under atlanta, breast cancer, georgia, turner field, walk

Earlier in the week I got a call from the Athens Banner-Herald asking me to shoot the wedding of a couple who would be getting married after they completed the Susan G. Koman 3-Day Breast Cancer walk. The walk, which is sixty miles starting in Buford, Ga. and ending in Atlanta, drew about 2,000 people this year.

My job was to find the couple, get photos of them pre-wedding and of the ceremony itself. Thankfully I was provided phone numbers so it was a relatively painless task. I met up with Bill Caputi and Carol Bitner over at the Holiday Inn that was down the road from the finish line at Turner Field. They had actually already crossed the line, but decided they wanted to grab some food and drink.

Anyways, I hung out with them at the hotel then made my way back to the stadium where they met up with family and friends prior to their ceremony. Then finally got the ceremony itself. It wasn’t anything fancy, and I think they liked it that way.

Carol Bitner, left, and Bill Caputi, right, make their way to Turner Field to get married less than an hour after finishing their three-day, 60 mile walk.

This lady was excited to meet the couple, apparently word had been spreading among participants that a couple was getting married at the end of the walk.

Bill and his granddaughter.

Making their way across the finish line for a second time.

Carol reunites with her granddaughter and some of her friends.

They had shirts made poetically describing the parallels between the walk and marriage.

As people heard about Carol’s story, they asked her to wear various bracelets in memory of loved ones who had passed away from cancer.

Laura Caputi, left, places the boutineer on her father Bill, right, as Carol watches.

Last night was Georgia Tech’s matchup against the #4 Virginia Tech Hokies. This was the second time I’ve seen the Hokies lose this season in person, the first being at the Chick-Fil-A kickoff game against Alabama (<a href=”http://www.joshdweiss.com/photoblog/2009/09/06/football-virginia-tech-vs-alabama/” target=”_self”>see here</a>).

I didn’t shoot very well, especially compared to the North Carolina game a few weeks ago (<a href=”http://www.joshdweiss.com/photoblog/2009/09/26/football-north-carolina-vs-georgia-tech/” target=”_self”>see here</a>). Add that on to the fact that one of my worst nightmares happened where the fans rushed the field, and you can imagine I got pretty flustered by the end of the game. It’s a fear primarily because I’m incredibly paranoid about the safety of my gear, thousands of people rushing at me don’t share that concern.

Considering it was the first time that had ever happened to me in a big stadium, I did what I could to make some shots but I wasn’t really satisfied with them. If it ever happens to me again though, I’ll know how to handle it better.
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Discussion

5 comments for “Breast Wedding Ever”

What a great story. You really captured the emotions of the event, Josh. Good job!

Posted by Debbie Weiss | October 26, 2009, 8:10 am
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I love this!

Posted by Mandi | October 26, 2009, 10:18 am
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Great photos Josh, fantastic reporting. Your photos captured the moment and the event.

Posted by Ted | October 26, 2009, 12:41 pm
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Amazing story and such beautiful pictures. Makes me feel like I was there. Great work!

Posted by Ruthy | October 26, 2009, 1:52 pm
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I was part of the Day Walk and saw Bill and Carol during the walk! What a great story. All 3 Day participants cheered for them when we were in the holding area prior to the closing ceremony – the band played “I Want to Hold Your Hand” while they had their first dance for us! They had held hands for 60 miles!

Posted by Cindy Hutchins | October 27, 2009, 9:42 am
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