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Whether you sing in the shower or wake up slowly to soothing sounds on your phone, music is an intimate part of life at home. São Paulo, Brazil-based photographer Claus Lehmann’s recent work for Spotify Brazil manages to perfectly capture the feeling and sensory experience of listening to music at home in a series of still and gif images without sound. The campaign promoting Spotify’s premium service showcases several intimate vignettes of people listening to music in their homes while singing along to the music or interacting with the sound in different ways.
Claus was introduced to Spotify’s LatAm ad agency Cubo CC by Barry Company, a film production company he knew. They had been looking for the right opportunity to work together, and Claus’s portrait portfolio aligned well with the style the client wanted to pursue for the campaign. Having worked as a film camera assistant in the past at O2 Filmes, he had experience working around a film set and anticipating the crew’s needs.
We know each other, and they [Barry Company] presented my portfolio to the agency and client to produce the key visuals and GIFs they wanted for the campaign.
They know I can work efficiently and be prepared to capture shots with talent in between filming pauses. Finding fast and creative solutions to any challenges that come up while simultaneously filming made me the right professional for the job. I like being among film crews, and I know the environment, so I’m able to adapt quickly.
Claus shot the images on location in a house in São Paulo and a studio space. He was on set with two assistants, Paulo Borgia and Victor Frezza, who helped him set up the specific lighting needed for each scene. The key visual’s lighting and concept were always slightly different than the film version, so it required its own setup.
Using the film light isn’t possible, as it’s typically subdued for the film needs, and because their team was always preparing the next set as I was shooting. While my assistants prepared the lights, I focused on refining the composition with the Art Director Fabiana Falcao.
The challenge was always to, in a fast way, use composition to capture a still photo that would represent the film scene. This is the most exciting part for me. Coming from a magazine career, I always had to find ways to make beautiful portraits in various situations, and I like to be pushed into it.
While they moved quickly from set to set, Claus’s ability to remain calm under pressure was contagious. His demeanor helped the crew stay tranquil and lean into the process while they worked on getting the hero shots.
My assistant called me the Yogi photographer! We had a lot of pressure to deliver great imagery, but I was confident that I had the skill to pull it off and steadfast in the belief that everything happens at the right time and place.
Claus’ calm team approach and preparedness for anything contributed to the crew finishing both days on time, and they quickly got client approval on the photos. The images were minimally retouched for color balance and light to ensure they matched and worked well as a set. This was especially important for producing the GIFs as images would be used side-by-side to animate a scene.
We had a great team, and they helped us capture photos that were ready to be published. The direction and styling were approved before shooting, so things moved along quickly.
Photographer: Claus Lehmann
Agency: CUBOCC
Art Director: Heloisa Lima
Creative Directors: Fabiana Falcão, Luiz Mastropietro, Marina Erthal
Editor: Raphael Fiuza, Guto Campello
Project Managers: Wagner Souza, Marília Pereira