One of the fun things I hear every once in a while is this. "That looks like a professional photo!" My years of working for our small community newspaper The Meadville Tribune has allowed me to meet a lot of people and I often get pointed at in public places and hear the words' hey you're the camera guy' or 'look the Tribune dude!' Its funny but I've been around long enough that people don't think of me as a professional photographer, but the guy with the camera that puts the pictures in the paper. So when a picture I take for a client is sean often the reaction is-'wow, these look professional.' Its a compliment. Recently I was told that some photos I took look like they could be in a magazine. Again it was a compliment and I really take it that way even though I know that magazine work is really no different in quality or expertise than newspaper work--at least not the way the photo staff approaches photography at the Meadville Tribune. Jim Stefanucci built a quality level of photography there that is unmatched by papers our size and we take great pride in our work. Even though I snicker myself when I call myself a professional(how can it be a profession when you love to do it so much?) I do make my living at it and so I am a professional. And I'm always trying to learn new ways to make photographs and make better images for my clients and subjects and grow my business. So I guess it is true. I will continue to love hearing people surprised when they see one of my photographs and exclaim... 'Wow, that looks like it was taken by a professional.' SayerMotter Photograph by Richard Sayer for a modeling portfolio.