buckley’s Market

This shoot was a blast. The assignment from Portsmouth City Lifestyle was to capture the opening of the new Buckley’s Market in downtown Portsmouth. The brief was beautifully simple: "just go shoot it." No formal storyline, no pre-planned pitch—just me, my camera, and the energy of a new local staple.

I started by scouting the room to get a feel for the flow. The food looked incredible under the glass displays, but for an architectural photography portfolio, I wanted to see how the space actually functioned. I found the executive chef and asked for his best. He just looked at me and said, "I got ya. Find a table."

Twenty minutes later, I’m at a high-top for one with six different entrees spread out like a feast. I knew the natural light pouring in from the street wouldn’t last, so I had to move fast. This was a masterclass in professional food photography on the fly—balancing the textures of the dishes with the environmental portraits of the market happening around me. Customers were staring like I was some over-eager influencer with a tripod, but that’s the price of getting results that feel honest.

As a commercial photographer in Portsmouth, NH, I’m always looking for that intersection of brand and reality. We captured the grit of the kitchen, the polish of the dining area, and the "lightning in the veins" energy of a new business finding its footing. The final set of images provided the market with a library of corporate branding photography that looks like the business at its best, rather than a sterile stock photo.

Best part? I had leftovers for days.