Recommended Flothemes Designer Spotlight: Interview with Celia A. Ruiz

We’re back with another Designer Spotlight. In this series of articles, we’re introducing you to Flothemes Recommended Designers – a group of talented and visionary creatives who specialize in web design and masterfully use Flothemes to build incredible websites for others.

For some of you, hiring a designer might seem like an unnecessary step – why would you need someone else to set up and style your website when you can arm yourself with documentation and video tutorials to DIY it? Well, here are just a couple of reasons.

A designer already knows the recipe for a modern, good-looking, and user-friendly website. They know where to place your CTAs (buttons) so they get clicked on and how to build pages that get people hooked. They also know how to weave your branding and personality into your website design so every page and every detail feels personal and tailored. Long story short, hiring a designer may add an extra cost to your budget, but will significantly impact your online presentation, your confidence, and your business growth (by attracting higher-end clients).

Today, we want you to meet Celia A. Ruiz – an incredible destination photographer & web designer, also known as The Lightbox Tales. Celia works between Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Tarifa, Spain.

Celia’s distinct web design style captivates and charms from the first glance. The websites she builds are always detailed and mesmerizing to browse through, with a great deal of movement and elegance. She specializes in websites for photographers. In her portfolio, you’ll find gorgeous examples of wedding, elopement, and nature photography sites.

The Lightbox Tales | Destination Photographer & Web Designer

thelightboxtales.com | Built with June theme

How did you get started with web design and how long have you been working in this field?

I started back in 2018, around the beginning of that year. I had just started with my photography career and I needed a website. The initial designs were really basic and crappy. Then I switched to WordPress and another website builder, and later on, I found out about Flothemes and never looked back. Initially, I only designed my site, and I loved the process so much I just kept on sharing it on Instagram. One day, Lauriane Vega reached out asking if I could design her site, so I did. Then Joy Zamora came, and the rest is history! I owe him a lot.

What’s your favorite thing about Flothemes?

How intuitive, easy and especially, customizable it is. Whenever I design for my clients, I barely use the templates or blocks in the theme, I build it all from scratch and I love it. That gives me the freedom to create something unique for each client.

Which theme do you like the most, and why?

I have used Mono, Lyra, and a few others. I wouldn’t really be able to pick – I love them all.

What are your areas of expertise?

I mostly work with Flothemes and only work with Photographers now. I base my design on my client’s style and personality. I don’t follow rules. I play it by ear and make it as personalized and unique to my client as possible.

Share a design or website advice for Flothemes clients.

Don’t be afraid to express yourself. Sometimes we feel like there are things that might be out of the “normal” and people will criticize them. But we need to be confident and trust ourselves. Just go for it!

Which are your top 3-5 favorite websites built with Flothemes templates?

Joy Zamora | Destination Wedding Photographer

joyzamora.com | Built with Lyra theme

Joy’s site is my masterpiece, and every person that sees it is amazed. Some people even ask me to design their site exactly like his. I am really proud of it! After his site was done, I got a bunch of amazing projects and opportunities to work with photographers from all over the world.

Lauriane Vega | Wedding & Couple Photographer

laurianevega.com | Built with Mono theme

Her site was the first one I did for someone else than me, and I am so happy she trusted me with it. I think it reflects her personality and style really well!

Moments Captured | Destination Wedding Photographer

momentscaptured.co.uk | Built with Velvet theme

Claudine’s site is stylish, sober, and simple yet full of little details. I loved designing this site for her and help boost her business.

Evergreen & Aspen | Nature Photographer

evergreenandaspen.com | Built with Mono theme

Katie requested an e-store. It was sort of challenging, but we managed to get her a beautiful site where her art is properly displayed.

Ha Nguyen | Wedding Photographer

coming soon | Built with Velvet theme

Ha’s site is still not published as there are some things that need to be finalized, but the design we did together is one of my favorites. Also because it reflects her delicate style so well.

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Feeling like Celia is the perfect fit for you? Want her to design YOUR photography website? Contact Celia via her website or follow The Lightbox Tales on Instagram.