Moodboard to Masterpiece: How Bobby Flores Creates Conceptual Film Portraits
3Long before the set is ready, 29-year-old photographer Bobby Flores already has the shot in mind. Once the initial idea arrives, it’s his vision that ties everything else in place — from making moodboards and gathering props to sketching out poses and executing it all on the day of the shoot. With a knack for planning and creating themed-portraits, he thrives in the rhythm of the process.
In this article, we're entering Bobby's world of creative portraiture, where no concept is too strange and no vision is too bold. It’s a space to trust instincts, embrace experimentation, and go with the creative flow of making art.
Welcome to the Lomography Magazine, Bobby! Could you please give a brief introduction of yourself?
Hey there! Thanks so much for having me. My name is Bobby Flores. I’m a 29 year old Mexican-American artist currently based in the Midwest in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Tell us about your film photography background. When and how did you get started?
I started photography five years ago, out of a desire to reconnect with myself as an artist. At the time, I didn't really have any money. I was living in Texas. It was a very turbulent time for me in my life. I didn't really have a direction back then, I suppose, nor did I feel like I had anyone I could lean on. However, I did have my cell phone, and a desire to someday be a director and make films.
Surprisingly enough, instead of making short films, I ended up walking the streets of Austin, taking photos with my phone to bring me comfort. There was something about making images that just felt right. When the pandemic started and brought me home to Minneapolis, I made a resolution to buy my first camera and dive into the world of photography.
It was only 6 months into shooting that I started to share some of my images on social media and ended up conversing with my now close friend Dante Ruscitti. He ran a film photography magazine based out of Denver, Colorado at the time. He introduced me to the world of film photography. I became absolutely enamored with the concept of film, and the creative canvas that it presented to me at the time. Within the week, I had my first film camera, and a couple of rolls in my pocket wherever I went. I was obsessed with film. From then on, I never looked back.
What’s the story behind your conceptual portraits? How did the initial idea come about?
A lot of my conceptual shoots start as ideas that I visualize in my head for months before actually deciding to go ahead and buy the props or equipment I need to execute the idea. They usually are inspired from music, video games, television characters, etc. that help to serve as a framework of inspiration for a certain mood or theme I’m trying to get across that speaks to me or for me. I try to have my conceptual shoots reflect me in some way, whether that be my identity or a period of time I’ve gone through in the past, or am going through presently.
Typically, I’m pretty hard on myself when the day finally comes to put these shoots together. There really isn't any reason why these ideas take months to come to fruition other than me being lazy! I always end up realizing that the idea that’s been sitting in my head for months could have been done sooner, but I guess that's just classic procrastination that anyone can relate to. I’ve also just come to accept that I work at my best when the time to shoot these kinds of projects feels natural, and not like I have to force these out to fill some sort of portfolio or check off a box of experiments to progress my technical knowledge.
What’s your typical creative process when doing these portraits? How do you plan and execute the concepts?
Once I’m finished with what I call the “Ideation” phase of what I want out of a conceptual shoot, I end up making a moodboard to help remind me of the theme of the concept I'm going for. This usually leads to me making a series of mini sketches in a notebook, designing how I want my set to look, how I want my model to be posed, alongside a flurry of messily scribbled notes that all seem to contradict each other.
These notes could be about desired color palettes, certain textures via clothing or background that are going to be difficult to work with for the lighting, or weather conditions. It really depends on the idea what the notes will be about. Ultimately though, for someone like me who can easily lose themselves in their ADHD-raddled brain, it helps to start a structured dialogue with myself that I can look back on for reference when I feel like I need a refresher — either during the planning phase, or when I’m in the moment behind the lens.
Do you have a favorite from these conceptual shoots? Tell us about the vision behind the concept and the process of executing it.
That's a hard one for me! I’d like to say that each one of them is my favorite at the moment, but looking back, I’d opt to say the most meaningful one is the photos I took for my series I named Memento Mori. The visualization for this project came from my internal desire to always live in opposition to the establishment — whether that be a government, an obstinate hierarchical structure, or a religion that helped me to hate myself at a young age. I grew up in a Catholic home, and as a result, I always carried a sense of resentment toward religion. Occult themes influence a lot of the art I've done, including this one.
When I execute an idea for a conceptual portrait theme, I like to plan what film stocks I will need and the desired look I’m trying to get out of them. For this scene, I knew I wanted to do black and white, and I wanted to shoot Kodak Tri-X, which is my go to black and white film. Once film stocks are decided, I move on to the moodboard. For this series, I made a Pinterest board that helped to round out the sketch work I had done beforehand. I mainly do this to find different poses I can take inspiration from and implement into my own work. From there, I set out to shop online for specific items I’ll need. For this shoot, I thankfully was able to find a cheap nun costume, a black thermal mask, and chocolate syrup to sub in for fake blood. (Fake blood stains everything forever — chocolate syrup is a great substitute for black and white. You can always add more water to it to get the consistency right!) That last part came in near the end of the shoot.
Once that was all gathered it was off to the studio!
Aside from cameras and film stocks, what are your go-to gear and equipment for portrait photography?
My 50 millimeter lens. No matter the format — either 35 millimeter or medium format — I will always shoot at this specific focal length or an equivalent length depending on the format. Shooting 50 millimeters as my prime focal length has been a constant for me since I first started photography 5 years ago. Because of this, I can work extremely fast. I can roughly visualize a scene most times without holding the lens up to my eye due to how comfortable I am with this focal length.
Next up is probably my light reflector, especially for shooting outside scenes if I don't have a powerful enough flash. It can be annoying at times if you don't have a second person to help you hold it, as relying on a tripod can be iffy at best when wind is a factor. However, having that to help be a light filler for a model's face or body during those midday lighting or late day contrast situations is a real game changer.
Most essential equipment? Have a good personality and have fun. If your model isn’t comfortable with you, you’re not going to be comfortable. If you’re not comfortable, then you're not creating at your best. Crack some jokes, try to start an organic conversation to put them at ease, and as you both get deeper into the creative process, you’ll both build off of that to create something great.
You also shoot on digital. As opposed to digital photography, the process of shooting on film is unpredictable. How does this affect how you work, especially in executing a planned concept?
My honest answer is I’ve never let the unpredictability of film stop me from trying to achieve an idea I want to see realized. I approach a film project the same way I would on digital. The only thing that changes is the flexibility and room for error I have. I feel like film can be predictable to a point if you’re confident in your exposures and understand the limitations of the scenes you’re shooting with your film stock.
I might be going against the grain here, but I’m a huge advocate for telling people not to care about how much film they’re shooting or how much it might cost in development. If this means I need to bracket for every single scene I’m shooting with my model and only have one frame come back that I’m happy with on a roll, then I’ll still say it was worth it. Those mental barriers keep you from experimenting and keep you from listening to your natural intuition. Natural intuition and experimentation are your greatest friends when you begin to execute your own creative concepts.
What elements of photography do you value the most when shooting portraits?
Being in the moment. Staying present and in your own flow. Learning to think less and shoot more. For me, when I get behind my lens, I always like to say it’s as if the world melts away and nothing else matters. I’m just focused on that one specific moment. I love that feeling, so I try to stay in that mode for as long as I can. I notice that I create my best work when I stop worrying about all the little details and overthinking the technical aspects, and just let things flow.
What tips would you give to photographers looking to explore creative portrait photography?
Just get out and do it. Ask one of your friends if you can walk to the park and take some photos. Bring some random props. Create a series of images with a narrative. Think outside the box and get weird. The less you think about it and the more you just do it, the more you will learn and be able to build upon that. I still tell that to myself today, because even I need to stop overthinking it and just get out there most days.
There are tons of wonderful resources to gain inspiration from, whether that's through studying the greats in photo books, watching instructive videos online on YouTube, or trying to emulate your favorite photographer you’ve found through social media.
Do you have any ongoing or future projects to add to your body of work? What’s next for you?
Currently, I am working on my first long form documentarian style project! It’s been a challenging but rewarding process. It’s something I’ve never done before in a style that I typically have shied away from. I’ve been growing a lot as a photographer from it, so I’m excited to see where it takes me. Other than that, I’m hopeful to hold my second gallery sometime by the end of this year, but that's dependent on a lot of factors, so I’m not going to hold myself to too many deadlines!
If you're interested in seeing Bobby's next conceptual portrait shoot, connect with him on his Instagram!
written by francinegaebriele on 2025-06-25 #people #film-portraits #conceptual-portraits
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