I'm really excited to introduce my latest work with Franklin Sports and 3x Olympic Gold volleyball athlete, Kerri Walsh Jennings. Franklin Sports brought me back to photograph their latest female sponsored athlete for a beach and indoor marketing and branding photo shoot in Naples, Florida.
We shot at the beautiful and exclusive Ritz-Carlton in Naples, Florida. We used the beautiful white sands from the Gulf of Mexico nearby and then moved to the massive two-story Ritz-Carlton Beach House.
It was an early morning setup with the moon still shining. Franklin Sports Director of Creative Services Drew Gundlach joined us to get setup and prep for Kerri's call time. Drew provided invaluable direction throughout the shoot.
My photo assistant, Mickey Howard, and I started by setting up the studio inside the Ritz-Carlton Beach House. I used 4x D2 and 2x B1X strobes with gridded 3x4 softboxes and 5ft / 2ft octabox modifiers with HSS enabled.
As sun was just starting to rise, I brought 2x B1X strobes and gridded strip boxes with a gold reflector to the beach supported by Matthews C-Stands.
Kerri started off the shoot showcasing her custom-designed Franklin Sports volleyballs on the beach. She was wearing custom-branded Franklin Sports athleisure gear.
A quick outfit change and I rotated our set to bring the sun behind Kerri's back.
I transitioned to action shots. Franklin brought in additional talent, Michelle Derrickson, to help with the actions shots.
I asked Kerri for a few diving shots and she nailed them easily with the first few tries. It's truly incredible to watch an elite athlete move.
After wrapping the beach, I moved to the studio setup in the Ritz-Carlton Beach House.
Here's a few photos from the product launch which include the official press release of the partnership.
A huge shoutout to Kerri for being so amazing on set. She was such a pleasure to work with and truly is an incredible athlete. I also want to thank Drew from Franklin Sports for his trust and creative guidance for such an important client of theirs.
Finally, I want to thank my awesome crew who worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes and all the staff from the Ritz-Carlton Naples who helped get the site prepped early in the morning:
THAT'S A WRAP!
© 2026 Matt Pendleton Photography