Photographer Sesse Lind is used to traversing different continents with a small personal bag and his camera gear. In an unending pursuit of visuals that excite himself and his clients, Lind revels in the challenging situations that demand climbing mountains or dropping into a desolate unfamiliar land. Always inclined to accept when the unusual scenario is presented, his recent shoot was perhaps the most unusual yet.
Sesse was invited to shoot the one of a kind Lexus LIT IS car as part of the collaboration between Lexus and Vevo to promote the release of UK singer Dua Lipa’s song “Be The One.” The LIT IS marks a truly innovative moment for automobiles as it takes the relationship between owner and auto into a new realm. There’s no hyperbole in this statement; the car must be seen to comprehend its capabilities.
Of course, while moving images can easily accomplish this, still photography requires far more skill to relate the wonderment of the LIT IS. Mr. Lind’s renown in the world of photography led creative director Aramique Krauthamer to enlist such a skilled artist. Art, even in the promotional world, is not a product of imitation but rather individual presentation; Sesse Lind was invited to photograph this one of a kind car because his work displays this exact concept.
The Lexus LIT IS is covered in 41,999 led lights that continuously changes colors. The obvious impediment is; how does one communicate this activity in still images? Spontaneity was the aspiration of this project as Lind was not given advance notice of what to expect and thus formulate a plan.
He recalls, “I was standing on a balcony inside a Los Angeles warehouse and watched from above as the car drove through a big smoke cloud into the pitch-black space. I remember being blown away by the power and sounds of the car in combination with the LED lights within that epic setting. It felt like I had been dropped in the middle of a futuristic movie.” With the ad agency overlooking, Lind quickly abandoned his station tethered to the DIT station in preference of an “on the move” tactic.
Collaborating with the digital artists who created the software for this presentation of the LIT IS, Sesse began directing the shoot as he would with a live model. Vacillating between artistic and documentary and artistic styles, he was able to formulate a concept that conveyed the personality of the car. Mr. Lind stipulates, “My plan was to try to capture the car in as many heroic angles and different lights as possible. I wanted to let the car move the light and chose to describe the motion with long exposures. The final images are a just few of the many thousands of images I captured on that shoot.”
Proving that his instincts are remarkable, the images captured by Sesse that day appeared on such renowned outlets as Wired, Motortrend, Techlead, and others. While he’s quick to point out that the results were a group effort, it’s undeniable that years of training in challenging settings coupled with his intuitive artist’s eye enabled Lind to perceive what would work in this unnatural setting.
He professes, “It’s extremely important to be alert and responsive at all times while on set. I always want to feel like I’ve given 110% on every shoot I partake in and I want the client/agency/creative director to feel like I did everything I could to produce a beautiful end result. My sole task for this shoot was to capture the car as quickly and beautifully as possible. I’m thankful that the creative director placed so much trust in me because this was a thrilling experience. I hope everyone gets to have LED fitted cars in the future!”
Writer: Arlen Gann