<\/p>\n In an exclusive interview, S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8 explains why he felt he had “no right” to photograph India on his own, how working with natural light transformed the project, and why the people he met became the calendar’s lasting memory.<\/p>\n Latest Videos FromDigital Camera World<\/p>\n “No right to do that on my own”<\/p>\n \n Lakshmi Menon (Image credit: From the backstage of the 2027 Pirelli Calendar, backstage picture by Alessandro Scotti)<\/p>\n The 2027 Pirelli Calendar marks the first time the publication has been created through more than one photographic voice. For S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8, that collaboration was essential.<\/p>\n “If I was going to be involved, it was important that it was someone else as well, because I have, in so many ways, no right to do that on my own, being who I am and where I’m from,” he says.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Working alongside Raghu Rai \u2013 and later Avani Rai \u2013 allowed the project to present India through contrasting perspectives.<\/p>\n “I’ve concentrated on portraits whilst Rai went into the streets,” S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8 explains.<\/p>\n “This fact made it more multifaceted. Coming from two completely different vantage points \u2013 with my background, and Raghu’s background and Avani’s background \u2013 it gives us a better chance of creating a more multi-dimensional picture of what India is.”<\/p>\n “Like doing it again for the first time”<\/p>\n \n Bhavitha Mandava (Image credit: From the backstage of the 2027 Pirelli Calendar, backstage picture by Alessandro Scotti)<\/p>\n Having created the 2026 Pirelli Calendar, S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8 admits he approached his second edition with a different mindset.<\/p>\n “It was different this time,” he says. “Last time, it was just me, my ideas in collaboration with the talent I was photographing.”<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n “This time it was a whole different approach. It was less conceptual, more real photography. It was on location. It was natural light. It was a very different approach on every level.”<\/p>\n S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8 explains that it felt like doing it for the first time, but without the pressure.<\/p>\n “Natural light is the most beautiful light”<\/p>\n \n Freida Pinto (Image credit: From the backstage of the 2027 Pirelli Calendar, backstage picture by Alessandro Scotti)<\/p>\n Unlike the previous calendar, the 2027 edition relied almost entirely on natural light.<\/p>\n “We worked with daylight, almost exclusively; there was just one picture where we added a bit of light, as it was a difficult location.”<\/p>\n The team carefully planned the photo shoot around the sun.<\/p>\n “You kind of go, ‘At four o’clock we’re going to do that picture because the sun will then give us the light we want.”<\/p>\n Large diffusion screens softened the sunlight while preserving its natural quality, “but no filters, no nothing, just natural light,” S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8 explains.<\/p>\n He adds, “Natural light is the most beautiful light.”<\/p>\n “I shot it with a Fujifilm<\/a> GFX with a huge resolution. It’s got great light sensitivity, so you can work in lower-light situations without any problems”, S\u00f8lve Sundsb\u00f8 says.<\/p>\n The people became the story<\/p>\n \n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/gZjB5sQ22TTvGFgu9RFR3i.jpg\")
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