Housed away in yellow, blue and pink structures on Court Street is the photography studio of Hot Springs native Madison Hurley-Fuentez, where she works to empower women through expressive boudoir photoshoots.
In this very San Francisco-esque area of downtown Hot Springs, Hurley and her wife, Nic Fuentez, live in between Miss Fancy, the photography studio, and Violet D'Vine, the photo shoot makeup artist.
"My standard client is anywhere from 18 to 60 years old, (but) I've worked with clients of all ages," Hurley said. "We take women of all shapes, sizes, colors, races; we love everyone."
While boudoir photography is her main focus, Hurley said she also photographs maternity, wedding and family portraits.
She said a woman having photos taken of herself seems small, but it can be a big start of a transformation in seeing inner beauty.
"I see so many women who have it in them to see their beauty, but they don't see it, and I think it's so important for them to experience them seeing (themselves) in a different light and sparking that self-empowerment of being free and letting it all out and just being like 'here I am.' I've noticed such a big difference working with clients their first time versus (their) fifth or sixth time and just seeing their love for themselves really blossom."
Hurley said she has experienced multiple self-conscious clients since she has begun boudoir photography, but she always tries to create a comfortable shooting environment for them.
"We're really calm and laid back and we just let them (do) whatever they're comfortable with," she said. "Usually by the end (of the photo shoot) they're like 'This is not as scary as I thought it would be,' and then they see their photos and they're like 'Damn, I look hot.'"
Hurley said she mainly works with nonprofessional models, but those aren't shown as much in her portfolio because most of them don't want their photos published due to it being for personal use or for their partner.
"I don't want people to ever look at my work and think 'Oh, I could never do that,' because they totally can," she said. "I feel like it's really important, and for anyone who has never done it, it really will change your perspective on yourself and your body, and how you feel about yourself."
Hurley said a session with her is more than just a photo shoot -- it's an experience.
"The whole experience from just coming in the door and being able to talk with us and open up and relax; it's like playing dress-up for a day," she said. "I feel like you get great photos, but you also get girl-time. ... You get time away surrounded by other women who are there to make you feel good."
As a member of the Hot Springs burlesque troupe, Foul Play Cabaret, Hurley said she also photographs a lot of burlesque performers.
"It kind of goes hand-in-hand; it's great to be able to mix both my passions into one," she said. "Starting burlesque really brought that (boudoir photography) aesthetic to my attention because I was around it and just wanting to capture the beauty of all these women in this glamorous environment."
Hurley said boudoir-style photography resonated with her.
"I feel like it's not even a work because it's so fun and it's so rewarding. Just seeing my clients feel so good about themselves, it just feels like I'm doing good work," she said.
Hurley said a lot of her packages are bought as a gift, but it's the type of gift that both the sender and receiver benefit from.
"A lot of people buy these packages for their partners as a gift, or you can also buy a package and present those photos to someone as a gift," she said. "I've done a lot of that, which is really fun because I love when ladies come in and their like 'Oh, I'm buying this for my partner as a gift,' but it's also a gift for them."
Hurley said she loves when clients schedule a shoot as a gift for themselves.
"It's great to give your beauty in photo form to people also, but I love when people come and they just want to do it for themselves and have a good time and treat themselves to feeling good in their skin," she said.
Hurley offers many different packages with her boudoir photography, but she said her most popular package includes hair, makeup, posing instruction, accessories, one hour of shooting with two to three outfits and 15 edited images with a print release for $300.
She said she also offers a mini version of this session, decreasing the shoot-time to 30 minutes and the edited images to seven, for $225.
Hurley said she includes posing instruction in her packages to increase the client's comfort.
"A lot of people's worry is 'I don't know what to do with my hands or how to pose,' but I have done it for so long and I also do some modeling, so it's supernatural because I can picture myself there and know what looks good from being in front and behind the camera."
She said clothing accessories like robes, nightgowns, jewelry, boas and headpieces are provides, but women have to bring their own outfits.
"I have a few websites that I recommend for people to go look for lingerie, or whatever vibe they're going for," she said. "I love when people come to me with really weird ideas, like I'm all about it. If you want weird, quirky portraits, I am your girl."
Hurley said her studio, Miss Fancy, and its backyard are ideal photo shoot locations, but she is willing to go almost anywhere a client has in mind.
She said she also enjoys elaborate and creative photoshoots.
"I like taking people's ideas and running with it and making it super extra. We're all about making it as beautiful and expressive as possible."
Hurley said the photo shoot is surrounded with female energy, and it's a comfortable experience that will leave a woman feeling good about herself.
"A lot of people don't get that female energy, and I'm just surrounded by it all the time," she said. "I'm a lesbian ... I have the burlesque troupe who are my best friends, and I love working with other women and sharing that and spreading that and I just want it to resonate with them."
HER Magazine on 11/15/2019