Rico Torres

Photographer Behind Hollywood’s Most Iconic Movie Imagery

Born to a U.S. diplomat in Peru, Rico Torres grew up across seven Latin American countries, a multicultural journey that shaped the visual instincts he’s known for today. That early exposure to diverse cultures, landscapes, and stories forged the foundation for his bold, cinematic approach to photography.

Rico discovered photography at 14 when he began experimenting with his father’s camera. What started as curiosity grew into a disciplined passion, eventually guiding him toward formal studies in Broadcasting and Film at Boston University. After moving to Los Angeles, he stepped directly into the world of visual storytelling.

A producer friend gave Rico his first opportunity on a movie set — a moment that changed everything. The raw, high-pressure environment of film production revealed his natural ability to seize human emotion and narrative in a single frame. From that moment on, still photography became his calling.

Today, Rico is recognized as one of Hollywood’s most distinctive photographic voices. He has contributed to the visual identity of more than 80 feature films, creating iconic poster imagery and on-set stills that have become inseparable from the movies themselves. His work includes Memory, Desperado, Alita: Battle Angel, Sin City, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Machete Kills, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny.

His portrait of Bruce Willis for Sin City remains one of the most collected and celebrated images of the genre.

Rico has photographed some of the industry’s most recognizable stars — including Gerard Butler, Liam Neeson, Antonio Banderas, Bruce Willis, James Coburn, and Lady Gaga — capturing them with a rare blend of intimacy and cinematic grandeur. His style has been shaped by years of collaboration with visionary directors such as Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Martin Campbell and Robert Rodriguez.

Artistic Philosophy

Rico’s imagery is defined by tension, elegance, and dramatic clarity. His work blends instinct with precision — sculpted light, bold compositions, and an unrelenting pursuit of the “decisive moment” that reveals character, emotion, and story in a single glance. Every image seeks to honor the humanity of the subject while elevating the cinematic world around them.

Experience Across the Globe

Rico’s career has taken him through dozens of cities across the U.S., Mexico, Europe, and beyond, shaping a global sensibility that continues to influence his art.

USA:

New York, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Lancaster, Lone Pine, Mojave Desert, Red Rocks, Miami, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas, Corpus Christi, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, Phoenix, Tucson, Hilo (Hawaii).

Mexico:

CDMX, Guaymas, Puerto Vallarta, Querétaro, San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, San Luis Potosí, Acuña, Nogales.

International:

Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Thessaloniki, Moscow, London, Vilnius, Munich, Berlin, Stockholm, Marrakesh, Prague, Karlovy Vary, Paris, Nice, Provence, Sofia, Madrid, Barcelona, Guadix de la Sierra, Cabo de Gata, Sevilla, Alicante, Málaga, Antequera, Almería, Panama City, San Juan (Puerto Rico), San José (Costa Rica).

Rico’s lens invites viewers into a cinematic universe — where every frame echoes the heartbeat of character, story, and emotion.