Testimonials

Excellent. There is really no other word for Celia's work. Not just because of her great eye, or the time she takes to understand exactly what it is you are looking for, or her ability to crop a photograph in just the right place, or her understanding of the digital technology, or the way in which she presents her product - although these would surely qualify her work as pretty close to excellent anyway - but because of her approach.

Going out on a very cold evening after school to pose for photographs is not exactly high on the average teenagers list of desirable things to do. But Celia's manner, her patience, her instinctive understanding of how to get the best out of them without ever appearing to be telling them what to do, made the experience for them at least tolerable (which is pretty good as teenagers go!!) and mercifully short (it was very cold), without compromising in the least on the quality of the end product, with which I am absolutely delighted. Celia approaches her work with an old school sense of quality and a very healthy dose of enthusiasm, and her results - which are really excellent - truly reflect this.

Peter

I first met Celia in May 2009 when she was the photographer at a wedding I attended on Burgh Island. She is the complete opposite of the usual pushy, intrusive type of photographer one encounters at some weddings. I hardly noticed that she was there at all, but she spent the whole day mingling unobtrusively with the guests taking beautiful natural photographs.

I was so impressed with her stunning pictures, so later in the year I asked her if she would photograph my five grandchildren. She came to the house and spent the whole afternoon with us and I now have a beautiful large canvas on my wall of the children running together in the garden which gives me enormous pleasure. She is not only a very talented photographer but a lovely person who we now count as a friend.

Heather

Hi Celia, WOW I’m speechless they look incredible. My only concern now is choosing which one’s to have!!! My mum also wants to know if she can have some too! Thanks ever so much Celia.

Toby

We first met Celia Mannings in 2006 while fund-raising for our son’s forthcoming charity challenge. Celia didn’t hesitate to support us, both by participating in the fund-raising but also taking photographs of our son for some publicity material. The results were outstanding. Celia was so natural and friendly that our son was completely relaxed and it showed in the photos. Surprisingly, there was no hint of him feeling self-conscious. Since then my husband and I decided to treat ourselves to photographs of all three sons for our Christmas present as we didn’t have any pictures of them as young men since they moved away from the family home. Celia managed to put them all at their ease and produce some wonderful shots of them individually and together.

Not only are they great photographs but they capture the different personalities of each of them perfectly. Celia also willingly took some stunning shots of our oldest son and his girlfriend, who happened to drop in while Celia was with us. Our only problem was choosing which photos to have from the large number taken, but Celia’s advice and approach to the viewing makes that bit easy and fun as well.

Celia’s enthusiasm and passion is infectious and her approach so relaxed and down-to-earth that the photos reflect the whole atmosphere of the “shoot”. Actually, it’s a bit misleading to call it a shoot as it feels more like a visit from a good friend who happens to be very talented with her camera. Our photographs are the best Christmas present ever – the one on our bedroom wall, of our three sons together, makes me smile every morning.

We would not hesitate to book Celia again for any future photography. The whole process was easy and fun and produced results that could not have been bettered – why would we ask anyone else when Celia has so quickly become a friend and exceeded our expectations with her exceptional photography.

The first time I met Celia I was blown away by her photographs. With the perfect Christmas present for our parents in mind, my brother, sister and I spent a truly memorable day in November with Celia taking incredible photographs of us around Widcombe in Bath. She has an infectious energy and genuine passion for what she does which rubs off on even the most reluctant of models! Celia was inspiring and creative, choosing unusual backdrops such as a red phone box, old garage door and steel railings which enhanced her striking pictures. I have been told itʼs really difficult for photographers to take a good pictures of 3 people in one frame, as one is bound to have their eyes closed or be pulling a funny expression! However, Celia effortlessly managed this with my family and the result was some of the most impressive photographs Iʼve ever seen. We chose two wonderful black and white images which Celia had beautifully framed for us. Our parents reactions said it all. They have each contacted Celia since Christmas to choose some more for themselves and the rest of the family! Celia is a dedicated, professional and extremely talented photographer who has a real eye for capturing the essence of the moment. I have already booked her for my future wedding even though I havenʼt a groom yet!!

Zoe

We were completely bowled over by the fantastic lifestyle photographs Celia took of our two children. Celia effortlessly captured their true characters by the informal and unobtrusive way she took the photographs. She watched the children playing, rather than try to get them to do what she wanted, so they relaxed and enjoyed themselves. The resulting photographs are very natural and full of life. We are really delighted with the superb album she put together. Everybody who has seen the album has commented on the beautiful pictures, where the children are clearly having loads of fun. Celia is an outstanding photographer and her work is truly inspirational.

Alison

We are absolutely thrilled with the photographs Celia has recently taken of our boys. I really wanted to have some recent portraits of them, and Celia's website really caught my eye. Before the session, I had a long chat on the phone, and explained to Celia that my older, teenaged son can be quite anxious, and absolutely hates having his photo taken. However, on the day of the shoot, I couldnʼt believe how Celia had him feeling at ease....and even enjoying the session! The photos were stunning. Celia took amazing shots of both boys, but it was particularly special for us to have some really natural, relaxed shots of our older boy where he wasnʼt looking or feeling awkward! The only problem I had was deciding which ones to choose!

Tracey

We have two very young daughters and as time races past so fast we wanted to capture this adorable age on film before it had gone. Celia was truly amazing, she is very relaxed and friendly and the girls immediately warmed to her. There was no major staging of the shots, no bright lights or white umbrellas; she just snapped away. A few days later she returned with the images and they were simply breathtaking. Not only were they just brilliant shots but she had captured their personality and that, in my opinion, is a real talent. Now we have them hanging on our wall and everyone who sees them agrees.

Hannah