Monica Benn, Fitness & Portrait Shoot at Naples Beach Pier | South Florida Photographer

Jean Paquingan
Nov 28, 2025
4 min read

Monica Benn came to the pier with one goal: document this phase of her fitness journey and finally see herself how the world sees he, strong, polished, and undeniably confident. We met in the winter of 2025 at Naples Beach Pier for a fitness & portraiture session that blended classic, female empowerment with punchy, editorial lighting and real-world beach energy.

This was a South Florida photoshoot designed for portfolio growth, social content, and personal celebration. As a South Florida photographer team, we built looks and moments that work across model portfolio photoshoots, fitness lifestyle photography, and brand content for influencers and coaches.

Woman in vibrant pink dress poses joyfully outside a pink building with a geometric pattern, surrounded by bright flowers and sunlight.

The concept: classic empowerment, editorial punch

We kept the vibe simple but layered: clean lines, strong silhouettes, and moments where Monica owned the frame. The wardrobe leaned toward timeless swim and sporty separates, think high-waisted cuts and structured tops that read editorial from across the pier. The narrative was straightforward: moments of training, quiet focus, and that exact instant she recognized herself as the strongest version yet.

See more of our fashion photography at https://www.dstnctartmedia.com/fashion

Woman in a bikini poses on a beach with flowing fabric in the wind, eyes closed, serene expression. Ocean waves in the background. Black and white.

Location: Naples Beach Pier, why the pier?

Naples offers that soft winter light and a calm palette of sand and sea that feels different from the Miami hustle. The pier gives you vertical elements, clean horizons, and pathways for movement. For a fitness shoot, it’s perfect, you can frame power poses against the skyline, use the railing for tension, and work sequences of motion with the surf as a backdrop.

Photography in Naples has unique challenges: tourists, dogs, and unpredictable wind. We treat the environment like a collaborator, use it, move with it, and frame out what we don’t want.

Lighting & gear: punchy, editorial, and human

Gear for the day: Sony A1 with a mix of lenses, primarily the 24-70mm and the 70-200mm GM. Those two lenses give the versatility to go wide for environmental portraits and tight for compressed, cinematic frames.

Lighting approach:

Natural backlight for rim highlights on hair and muscle definition.
High-speed sync with a portable strobe to freeze motion and add contrast when the sun dipped.
Shallow depth of field to isolate Monica from a busy background, 70-200 at 2.8 was our go-to.
The reflector works for soft fill during low-angle shots when the sun sits behind the pier.

The result: images with editorial punch that still feel intimate, the kind of frames brands, pageant judges, and agencies respond to.

Explore our Miami swimwear shoots at https://www.dstnctartmedia.com/swimwear

Woman in a chained dress, posing under a pier with waves crashing around her. Sunlight streams through pillars, creating a dramatic scene.

Woman poses joyfully under pier at sunset, wearing a chain dress. Waves crash around her and a gold drum. Warm, relaxed atmosphere.

A woman in a gold swimsuit poses confidently on a beach at sunset, with a pier in the background. She wears bold gold jewelry.

Behind the scenes: direction, warming up, and real-time feedback

Warming up is half the battle. We started with movement drills: walk-and-pause, heel taps on the railing, and a few dynamic stretches. That simple pacing gets the breath right, muscles warmed, and the face relaxed.

Direction notes we used:

“Long spine, push shoulders back” to open chest and create regal posture.
“Shift weight to the back foot and soften the front knee” for confident contrapposto.
Micro-expressions: a small smile, then hold it for three frames, we’re always fishing for the fleeting, authentic look.

One of our signature moves is live feedback. We hand the client the back of the camera and scroll through a few selects; watching Monica see herself on the Sony A1, the moment she realized she looked like the best version of herself, is why we do this. She was thrilled, emotional, and instantly more present for the rest of the set.

View more commercial work at https://www.dstnctartmedia.com/commercial

Posing and movement for fitness portraits

Fitness photography needs to show strength without feeling stiff. For Monica:

We alternated static poses (isometric lunges, planks on the pier edge) with motion (jumping lunges, warming runs along the boardwalk).
Use of negative space: long shots with the pier and horizon give a storytelling scale.
Close-ups on hands, jawline, and muscle definition to deliver content for social and branding.

These images translate perfectly into model portfolio photoshoots, fitness social content, and promotional materials for coaches and gyms.

A woman in a pink swimsuit poses on a sunny beach near a pier, surrounded by shimmering waves. Text on her suit reads "Savage X Fenty."

Woman in pink bikini poses against a pier, ocean waves in the background. Text on clothing reads "GODSAVEQUEENS." Sunny, serene setting.

The crowd challenge, and how we handled it

The pier was packed. Tourists, families, and local sun-seekers made it feel like a small festival. Solution:

Tight framing and selective depth of field to visually remove background clutter.
Timing: we worked in short bursts between crowds and used elevated angles from the pier to find clean sightlines.
Team tempo: quick setups, minimal lens changes, and constant communication so Monica stayed comfortable and energized.

She handled it like a pro, upbeat and focused, which made the logistical gymnastics easier on our end.

Why this work matters for models, influencers, and fitness pros

Content from a session like this becomes a toolkit:

Hero images for a model portfolio or pageant application.
Motion clips and stills for social media that highlight physique and personality.
Commercial-ready frames for brand partnerships, local gyms, and wellness products.

If you’re a model, pageant competitor, or fitness coach in South Florida, these are the images that convert followers into clients and auditions into bookings.

See more of our lifestyle and fitness work at https://www.dstnctartmedia.com/lifestyle-fitness

Person lounging on sandy beach in brown swimwear, hand on head. Palm trees and houses in background under a clear blue sky. Relaxed mood.

Woman in a metallic bronze outfit, smiling outdoors, under a clear blue sky. Palm trees and building in the background.

Final frames & the moment that made the day

Our favorite sequence: tight 70-200 shots of Monica pushing through a set, followed by a wide, sunrimmed portrait as she turned to the camera. The emotional peak came when she saw her images on the A1's screen and said, “I finally see it.” That reaction, that shift, is the whole point of high-end portrait and fitness photography.

Book your South Florida photoshoot at https://www.dstnctartmedia.com/contact

If you’re a model, influencer, fitness coach, brand, or pageant competitor in Boca Raton, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, or anywhere in South Florida, let us turn your next step into powerful visual momentum. We direct, light, and create content with intention so you can step into the industry-ready image you deserve.

See more headshot work at https://www.dstnctartmedia.com/headshot-photography