Our results highlight the strengths of the cumulant approach in modelling chromophores in the condensed phase. While more computationally demanding than the widely used Franck-Condon approach, generally requiring QM/MM dynamics and vertical energy calculations on 10s of thousands of MD snapshot, the method can describe environmental polarization effects, direct solute solvent interactions and slow collective chromophoreenvironment interactions from first principles. These types of interactions are ubiquitous in a wide variety of systems, ranging from semi-flexible solvated dyes to pigment-protein complexes.