Emily’s Boudoir Experience (Emily and Craig tell us their personal story)
IMAGINE JUST HOW HARD THIS WOULD BE
Imagine waking up every day and barely being able to function.
Imagine feeling extremely tired and unwell almost all the time. Muscle and joint pain, headaches, sore throat and extreme flu like symptoms. The difference being, you feel like this often for many years.
Imagine having difficulty concentrating or remembering.
Would you be able to work with symptoms like this?
This condition is known as ME or CFS (Chronic fatigue syndrome) – It’s hugely debilitating and can often take years to diagnose. Losing independence and constant fatigue can affect your mental and emotional health, and have a negative effect on your self-esteem.
Imagine having that.
It doesn’t help that so little is known about what causes ME and although most people with this condition do get better over time, some people never make a full recovery.
Emily suffers from long term M.E.
It took years to diagnose it and she was lucky to have tremendous support from her husband, Craig.
Emily and Craig reached out to us to create some beautiful pictures they could both enjoy for many years. Emily wanted pictures like this for her husband to enjoy as much as she would and the effort it took to do the session was exhausting for her. She arrived in her wheelchair and we took things really easy so that we didn’t drain too much of her energy. Towards the end, we could tell she was getting tired so we suggested she returns after a few days rest to do the woodland shoot she was so looking forward to.
The results were exactly what they were looking for and Emily tells us that all the pain was worth it for the pictures she ended up with.
WHAT DID EMILY & CRAIG SAY THIS ABOUT THEIR MADISON BOU EXPERIENCE?
“Dave and his team really went above and beyond to make our day excellent. He was able to work around my wife’s medical conditions without any issues, and even helped turn them into the focal point of a few photos.
The whole team made it a calm and reassuring experience, and really got the best shots possible. The castle grounds are amazing, and make for some excellent views.
We’ve loved the results!
I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone.
Also, I know we gave you permission to use the photos for marketing purposes, and just to clarify, we didn’t mind any of them being used, even the babe in the woods ones, or the ones showing the wheelchair. Especially the carrying one, as we think that’s almost a perfect photo, even though it was unplanned. It shows us both happy, Emmy being supported through her illness and able to still do amazing things. ”
SEE SOME OF THEIR FAVOURITE PICTURES FROM THE SESSION
“Our favourite! It's a surprising one, but our favourite picture ended up as an unplanned photo, but it really stood out to us. The colours are amazing, and it captured our relationship, both of us are smiling and happy, holding each other. It symbolised us almost perfectly.”
“Our next favourite was this All of the ‘Babe in the Woods’ shots came out great, it was such a perfect area, but this one always gave off a great feeling. The focus on Emmy on the table, and the lights and colour in the
background make it seem like a still from a movie!”
We could never choose between these two photos - Both are taken of the same scene, but both had different bits that stood out to each of us. On the
first photo, the lighting in amazing, and there is so much detail in the shot. On the second, Emmy’s
eyes really stand out. In the end, we had the second one framed on canvas, and it’s still above our
bed.
All of the prints have taken pride of place around our house. The giant canvas hangs above
our bed, and the others are dotted around the house. All of them add life to the house, and bring a
smile to our face when we see them.
We also loved having the digital copies and the ability to share them, and these captured a
lot of attention online and were loved by all who saw them.
What was your reason for wanting to do the shoot? To have some professional pictures taken and printed for husband and I to enjoy.
Would you recommend us to your friends? Yes
What was your favourite thing about the whole experience? The atmosphere. It was fun and exciting but also calming and relaxing.
How did you feel when seeing your pictures for the first time? Super excited! I looked amazing!
What would you tell other women wanting an experience like this? Do it! You won’t regret it at all with Madison Bou.
If you’d like to have your session featured on my blog, please write a paragraph or two on your thoughts about your experience Suffering from chronic illness isn’t easy, but the team at Madison Bou took special care of me and my needs and created stunning photos of me to enjoy. Everyone I met was kind and supportive and got the best photos I’ve ever had. I’m looking forward to sharing a few with my friends!
Can we share your photos on a blog post? Yes, I’d be happy for you to use my pictures.
What could we do to improve the Madison Bou Experience? I honestly don’t think you could… You provided drinks and breaks and easy to follow directions for head tilts and such. I had the best time I could have.
If you were to book another photoshoot experience what would you like included? We plan on booking another one in the future already! And we likely would include a stay at the hotel as part of that. The Babe in the Wood shoot was amazing, and it's an area we think we'd like to expand on next time, weather permitting. However the whole shoot was already great, and more of the same is perfect!
How can we take the bespoke Madison Bou Experience to the next level? One thing we didn't realise was that opportunities may arise for Craig to be in the photos. All those photos turned out great, and we loved them, but if he'd known that, he'd likely have worn different clothes on the day, and probably have got a haircut beforehand! All of the discussions had been focused on Emmy, and we hadn't even considered it as an option, so mentioning it may help a few other people.
To be honest, we had difficulty thinking of any way the day could be better. The experience was great, the team were amazing to talk to, the photos are perfect.
If money was no object - what would you want from your experience? If money was no object, we'd like to include the odd video clip too. The photos were amazing, and we love the prints, but even short clips really bring to life the experience. Another option would be to bookend the photoshoot with two days in the hotel, to allow the photoshoot to start with us well rested. We'd have to be careful not to partake in the hotel food too much though,
it is just too good! Last, if money was no object, we'd love options for hiring props/clothes, like photos against a nice car, a smoke machine for some interesting effects, or amazing dress.
Emmy loved the idea of reclining against a historic old Jag.
We want to offer a tailor made experience which is completely unique. Would you want to stay overnight at the Hotel and view the next day?
The hotel would be a great idea, especially for our circumstances. With Emmy's illness,
knowing we didn't have to travel and could spend the time relaxing could allow her to relax and
recover faster. It's actually something we would have done the first time, if we'd thought about it in
time! The viewing the next day would be amazing, but we know the amount of work you put into it, and the amount of time it takes to work on the images, so we'd hate to force you into that.
What would make it unforgettable for you? It already was!
