Photographer: Scott McClurg

Camera: Nikon D1X

Cheryl Maples, of Springfield, Mo., primps her keeshond Ethunder as her son, Alex Maples, 7, plays in Ethunder's cage at the recent Heart of America Keeshond Club dog show.

Lens:17-35mm zoom set to 20mm

ISO: 400

Shutter: 1/100th second

Aperture: f4

Off-camera flash used

When I got the assignment to shoot the Heart of America Keeshond Club dog show in Lawrence, I really didn’t know what to expect. I knew people who participated in dog shows were very dedicated to their dogs, and I was pretty blown away by the scene when I showed up.

Dozens of keeshonds and their owners were running around the Lawrence Holidome in the midst of a round of judging.

I tried for a long time to make a good picture of the show, but everything was so far away or just didn’t seem to line up for a good shot. I had some pictures that would work but really didn’t tell the story well enough.

Frustrated, I walked to the back and found the staging area where dogs were being primped and readied for showing. I probably walked past this booth three or four times before I noticed out of the corner of my eye something strange.

A boy was playing in a keeshond’s cage as his mother was getting the dog ready to show. I worked it for a little while and ended up with this image. Finally I had the funny/goofy kind of picture I was looking for.