One of the saddest parts about being a photographer is that sometimes you get labeled as a creeper! Admittedly there are a lot of --well maybe not a lot , but there are some people out there who use photography to enable their own perversions. Today I was reminded of this as I was covering the back-stage of the body building competition at Saegertown high school. I snapped a photo and was immediately confronted by someone who didn't recognize me as a member of the media. I actually don't mind this--it gives me a chance to show that I'm legitimate and there to cover a story. I actually find it comforting that people are looking after one another this way. The story I was there to tell was this body building competition in a weird place--at a high school in Northwest Pennsylvania. (Many refer to this area as BFE---sorry mom if you know what this stands for!) So this was weird at best for this area. And yet--very cool! The picture I wanted is one that showed it being out of place, but also very real. I understand being involved is something most people don't know the inner workings of---I'm a lawn bowler. So I can relate to someone having extreme dedication to something most people can't relate too. Body building is like this. The people I know who are involved in this are very very good people--so I understand. Today I caught a small glimpse into this world and though I still find it strange to my way of thinking, I understand it because of the personal drive to succeed! And its somewhat lonely this pursuit! I saw individuals blocking out those around them in order to get into the right frame of mind to compete. Below is another picture I took today--it was me being alone with my thing---my craft. I look for things that I think are interesting to photograph. Sometimes its a story about people in a bodybuilding competition--other times its the rain in a puddle! Its all the same to me--its life in front of me! Meadville Tribune photographs by Richard Sayer.