I knew I needed a fast lens, and after an incredible run with the Canon 100 mm macro, I decided to use that lens as Geormani had great skin. We went outside towards the end of the day, around 7:30 p.m., so we did not have much light to work with. I cracked the aperture wide open at 2.8 so I could keep the focus on Geormani and still keep a sense of place. Since I used a fixed lens of 100 mm, I knew I had to keep the shutter speed around or above 1/125; therefore, I kept the camera on Aperature Priority Mode (AV) because I knew it would give me that beautiful fall-off and still maintain a fast shutter speed.

Geormani literally kept me on my toes. He had oodles of energy—so much, I decided to skip my workout that evening because of all the jumping around we did outside. Geormani kept moving so I could capture a variety of poses. I wanted to videotape him so I could show some of the models I work with how to pose: just relax and try not to be so self-aware, just like an 11-year old.

Photographer: Amy Dunn
Photo assistant: Jon S.
Model: Geormani

Gear: Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM
New York City, 2009