We had the good fortune of connecting with Cori Teskey & Emily Ferguson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cori Teskey & Emily Ferguson, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
We met in a local Phoenix moms group when our boys were 6 and 10 months old. For each holiday we liked to put together themed sets to take our kids monthly milestone pictures. We both then got pregnant with baby girls. What started as a hobby taking monthly themed photos of our children turned into a business when we decided to offer Holiday Christmas Minis back in 2016. Our business is named after our girls middle names, Reagan MADISON and Emma GREY. We have a love for getting to create new and unique setups for mini sessions, cake smashes and being able to capture memories for our clients to look back on and cherish for the years to come.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
What sets Madison Grey Photography apart from other photography businesses around the Phoenix area is that we are a team of two photographers. We are both typically at all sessions, meaning four eyes to perfect the poses and outfits and get your kids to look and smile. We have a commercial studio space in Peoria, Arizona filled with everything needed for maternity, newborn, cake smash, milestone and birthday sessions, not to mention our huge client closet full of dresses and gowns for women and children to use when you book a session with us. We specialize in mini sessions and have been offering them for the last 7 years. We have an amazing Magical Santa Session we offer in November as well as other themed and family mini sessions throughout the year. We have invested so much into our business so that our clients can experience a unique one of a kind experience. We want to make the photo taking process as easy as possible so our clients just show up and let us do the rest.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
A delicious brunch sounds like a great way to start the week. Eggstasy has a huge menu and delicious food. We both love being outdoors with our families and would recommend checking out places like Tonto National Forest Salt River, the Superstition Mountains and White Tank Mountains, Papago Park and the hole in the rock. You can never go wrong with BJ’s resturant for a good meal. We like their personal size pizzas, avacado egg rolls and pizookie for desert. Phoenix has so many restaurants but Coris favorite is Richardson’s and their bacon wrapped jalapenos and Emily’s favorite is Ocean Prime for their surf and turf and the cucumber gimlet, its so refreshing! We love the Wild Life Zoo in Litchfield Park but with the weather already heating up a nights stay at The Great Wolf Lodge in Scottsdale could be fun for the whole family. If you want an adult night out without the kids we recommend checking out some of the cool bars in Phoenix. The Century Grand has three great options, The Grey Hen, Platform 18 and Undertow are all uniquely themed bars that serve specialty cocktails. To finish the week we would recommend staying at the JW Marriott Desert Ride, Visit the spa, float in the lazy river and eat dinner at Roy’s.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
We wouldn’t be where we are today without the love and support from our Husbands. We are working most nights and weekends leaving them with the kids. We’re so thankful for them and their encouragement to push us to do what we love. We also have to thank Liana McCorkle, our friend and mentor. Without her education and guidance years ago we wouldn’t be where we are today.

Website: www.madisongreyphotography.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/madisongreyphoto

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/madisongreyphotography

Facebook: www.facebook.com/madisongreyphotography

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/madison-grey-photography-peoria

Other: https://bookedin.com/book/madison-grey-photography

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutArizona is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.