Smedley, I'm going to offer my example, now. It's not stunning, or earth shattering, but I think shows how well Carrara can work in a professional setting.

http://www.hillphoenix.com/O2IM_withCheese.jpg

The display case and Poser fig were modeled and rendered in Carrara, and then the cheese and the background composited with Photoshop. It's not perfect, but it is real-world application.