In the world of boudoir photography, the choice to have professional hair and makeup done is not merely an aesthetic indulgence; it's an important decision that can enhance your entire photoshoot experience. Some Boudoir studios will offer hair and makeup as part of the session price and some will offer it as an upgrade or require you to pay the hair and make-up artists independently. Every studio is different but in every case we would advise you ensure you take the hair and make up option. (We offer it as standard in all our sessions)

Here are the top five reasons why investing in professional hair and makeup is a game-changer for your boudoir session:

2023 was the year I became fascinated with the possibilities of A.I and started to incorporate it into some parts of my daily life. Like a lot of families, we’d become addicted to multiple Alexas and Echos and Siris stationed around our home and used them all the time. In the Summer of 2023 I started using these tools to help with writing for ideas. I created the backbone of a 10 week photography course for teenagers in ten minutes. Plus the time to source the graphics and illustrative material, use my ‘voice’ for the language and create a nice looking layout for the course notes and in total, I reckon it took around 4 hours to create a 10 week photography course and heaven knows how many days I’d be labouring over it if I was just using ‘old school’ methods of the past. If you’re a writer of any kind, A.I. is amazing for getting you started and for getting you ‘in the ball park’ in no time at all. It really is amazing.

5 GREAT REASONS TO DO A BRIDAL BOUDOIR SESSION BEFORE YOUR WEDDING

You’ve planned the big day and it’s getting closer. Maybe you did engagement photos and even a Bridal Portrait Session, and soon you’ll have gorgeous wedding photos to hang around your house, but there’s one more session you’re going to want to do before tying the knot: A Bridal Boudoir Session. If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not to have one, you definitely should!

Here are 5 reasons why a bridal boudoir session is the perfect addition to your wedding festivities.

Did you know that the Photographer half of the Madison Bou partnership (Not the beautiful, organised, smart half… The ‘other half’) used to be a full time radio DJ for 30 years?

No? well, the secret’s out now!

Creating the right ambiance is essential for a memorable boudoir photoshoot.

Music plays a crucial role in setting the mood, enhancing the experience, and making you feel comfortable and confident.

So. today we’re going to be talking about bringing a playlist of favourite songs to get you in the mood to completely ‘smash it’ in front of the camera.

(OK, over 30 years, lingo has really changed, from ‘bossing the turntables and spinning the decks’ !!!??? to ‘smashing it’ and playing ‘wicked’ and ‘sic’ tunes!!??????)

It’s no easy task to curate a truly excellent and ‘bodacious’ soundtrack and of course, it’s a very personal thing.

So, from an old pro…. here are some pointers.

Without a doubt, posing for a boudoir session can be a little intimidating!

Most of us are not natural-born models.

99% of clients start out the session by telling us they don’t know how to pose! They often say – “What do I do with my hands?”

Hands can look awkward and make you look nervous but with a little gentle direction we can make sure your hands look wonderful and help you radiate a feeling of confidence.

Most people worry about smiling and expression in front of the camera but pay little regard to their hands.

One of the most important things we do is to get you to relax those hands. Shake out all the stiffness. Create shapes like ‘ballet hands’ – Part and bend the fingers. No clenched, closed fists or straight, regimental hands. Just softe and gentle hands. Like a ballet dancer.

This experience isn’t cheap.

You already suspect that this experience will be worth a lot to you, that’s why you want to do it in the first place!

At Madison Bou – We genuinely feel that the experience we offer should be available to EVERY woman.

We agonise over every product we sell and do everything we can to offer extraordinary value for everyone of our clients.

We now offer flexible, interest free payment plans that work for your budget.

We also offer £100 discounts if you and a friend book sessions on the same day.

The best bit?

You will enjoy your Madison Bou experience well after your shoot day is over.

Your confidence will soar for years to come as you look back on your beautiful photographs.

How much would an experience like that be worth to you?

It always amazes us when clients tell us they’ve been thinking of booking this confidence-building and liberating experience for years and are finally glad they did it. – We just think that all those years of anxiety could have been sorted by booking the experience back then. (Better late than never, though)

Ask yourself – when is the last time you celebrated and felt good about your body?

If you can’t say you’ve celebrated yourself this year, it’s time for a boudoir shoot. (Stop procrastinating)

Let us show you just how amazing you really are!

“When I returned for the viewing I was excited but scared and unsure of what to expect. I sat in the office with my mum and on the computer screen was a magazine cover. I remember thinking at the time the lady on the front looked really attractive, never did I think that it was me.

When we sat down to view the pictures, they pointed out that that was me and from that point on I couldn’t stop the tears. Picture after picture and I looked amazing in every one. I bought all my pictures as I really couldn’t chose a favourite. I loved them all. I would recommend Madison Bou to anyone as what they do is priceless and so empowering”… Charlotte

Many of our clients tell us when they return to view their edited pictures that if they had one regret, it’s that they didn’t get a little more daring on the day.

After a very short time, almost every client starts to feel more comfortable in front of the camera than they ever thought possible.

They come with an expectation that everything is going to be so serious and difficult and they believe they won’t look as good as the girls on our website. They don’t believe they can ever look sexy. Yet, when they see how sexy they really are at the viewing, naturally, they wish they could go even further.

It’s all about your personal comfort level and the more comfortable you become, the more natural you will look in front of the camera and the more natural you look, the more sexy you will feel.

We encourage every woman who books a boudoir experience with us to come with an open mind. Try and imagine how sexy you will feel dressed only in a bedsheet. It’s liberating and empowering. It’s a celebration of your own fantastic body and it’s truly positive for your psyche.

When clients return for their viewing session the biggest question we get asked is “Oh, my gosh, is that really me?”

I can pinpoint the exact moment when the confidence comes back…. You can see it in their face, see it in their body language, it’s an amazing thing and it happens every single time.

Clients can often arrive visibly shaking with nerves. Then, after an hour or so in hair and make-up and a fully directed, yet relaxed photoshoot in the comfort of a top hotel like Hazlewood Castle, you can see the anxiety rapidly disappear and be replaced with laughter and banter.

We see it time and time again. Everyone leaves our photoshoot experiences feeling a lot more confident.

They tell us it’s a bit like floating on air.

Some girls want to have a boudoir session but they don’t want to do it alone. Some people just prefer to team up for a little extra ‘girl power’.

This is the beauty of a Boudoir Party.

It allows you to take part in an intimate form of photography without the fear of ‘going it alone.’

A great Boudoir session is empowering.

Any woman, after spending hours being pampered by celebrity style makeup and hair and then photographed by a world class boudoir photographer, will be completely transformed by the experience, and she'll leave feeling more confident than she's felt in a long time.

Add your best friends into the mix and this experience will be even more fun, uplifting and memorable.

Over the last few years, These fun, fashion forward Boudoir Parties have become an incredibly popular idea for birthdays, milestone celebrations, Hen nights and BFF parties.

Women who would have been content to go out for dinner and drinks on these special days have become bored with the traditional and instead are shedding their clothes as a group to celebrate life and beauty.

When we asked Helen why she wanted to do a Fabulous at 50 photoshoot like this she told us

“I’m going to be 50 in a few months and not looking forward to it. Would like this to make me feel gorgeous and boost my confidence.”

Well, I know she’s thankful she did have some professional photos. Not only to hand down to the family but also because of the boost in self confidence an experience like this brings to so many of our clients.

Helen was such a joy to work with on the day. She arrived with perfect outfits for the shoot and really gave her all to the photoshoot. She was easy to direct and that smile radiated and lit up the room.

This is what we mean by Modern Glamour – super glam images of you in fabulous dresses in a great surrounding. If you’re brave you can do a little lingerie but in truth, our glamour is less about what you wear and all about you.

What do you think of when you hear the words boudoir photography? Maybe you think of sexy women in lingerie, strutting their stuff for the camera. Or maybe you think of models with the “perfect” figure, makeup, and hair. Maybe you think I could never do that or I wish that were me.

But boudoir photography is so much more than sensual, intimate photos. It’s about you—learning to love yourself and your body, feeling empowered in your beauty and femininity. No matter what you may think when you look in the mirror, you are strong, sexy, and unique, and your beauty deserves to be celebrated.

DON’T LISTEN TO THE LIES WE TELL OURSELVES – WE WANT YOU TO BE FEARLESS ABOUT WHO YOU ARE

Are you looking for a few nice pictures or, are you ready for the Yorkshire boudoir experience of a lifetime?

If you just want a few nice pictures then this is probably not the studio for you. (We will be happy to point you in the direction of a makeover studio which specialises in selling pictures on digital sticks with same-day viewings )

On the other hand, if you’re looking for an incredible Yorkshire boudoir experience, let’s chat!

We specialise in working with women to show them that the lies they tell themselves are just that – LIES

The lies we tell ourselves every day. We all do it to a greater or lesser extent.

So many women we meet have become strangers to their bodies, particularly after ageing and having babies. We believe it’s healthy to learn to appreciate the body you have and not be to judgemental. Loving yourself isn’t about vanity, it’s about sanity and a boudoir experience is all about learning to love and appreciate what you have. We are all ‘perfectly imperfect’ and accepting that is a hugely healthy thing.

Boudoir isn’t just about wearing lingerie. We’ve said this many times.

What you wear is entirely up to you.

It’s about you and your own personal style.

Just like many people find a Fireman’s outfit sexy, other’s prefer suits and ties, buff naked, a chicken suit :-) or a Peppa Pig onesie!!

Ok, we’ve never tried to make Peppa Pig sexy but we would be prepared to take on the challenge!

Seriously, whatever you want to wear, we will make you look and feel super sexy. If you have no idea what you want to bring to your shoot, of course we’ll help you every step of the way.

How about your boyfriends shirt and tie? a sports t-shirt. cut off jeans, Doc Martins?

Here are a few ideas or sexy outfits that we bet you have in your wardrobe right now…

Loving Yourself isn’t Vanity, It’s Sanity

So many women we meet have a real problem putting their needs first.

It’s just not in their nature.

So often, the children come first or the hubby comes first, before they ever consider their own needs.

Over the years, all this nurturing can take a toll to the point where there’s nothing left to give. We see this all the time.

Women come to us and say they’ve lost sight of who they used to be. They just don’t know who they are anymore.

Yet, it should be encouraged to prioritise physical and mental health. Time needs to be put aside for ‘self love’ - To regain a sense of self-worth and happiness.

Women should never feel guilty about investing in themselves.

Today, we know that the best gift we can give others is to be the absolute BEST version of ourselves. This includes being able to appreciate our bodies, see our own beauty, and truly know our worth.

Many, many women who come to us become completely lost over the years after having children.

They spend their lives looking after the kids, the school run, the organising, the shopping, the nursing, the teaching and then of course, trying to be the perfect partner. Not to mention the fact that often they’ve sacrificed their careers.

It’s not surprising that many women come to us and tell us they feel like they’ve ‘lost themselves’ .

These Mums are often very organised.

They write lists of things to do every day full of all the things they have to do for the kids, their partner, the house but guess what? They themselves, are never on the list.

They ‘do stuff’ for everyone else but never have any time to do anything, just for themselves.

In fact, the very idea of doing something for themselves would feel unjustly self indulgent.

Yet why shouldn’t these women do things for themselves? Are they not worth it?