Lance Mercer, born and raised in Seattle, started photographing the local music scene at the age of 13. He graduated from Seattle Central Community College commercial photography program in 1987. He became a fulltime free-lance photographer in 1991. Through his involvement with the local music scene he was invited to tour with Pearl Jam in 1992-95 as their official photographer. This work subsequently enabled him to work full time as a music photographer with many other well-known musical artists. Has photographed many album covers, clients have included Epic Records, Columbia Records, Capitol, Warner Brothers, Geffen and A&M. His photos have been published in the likes of Rolling Stone, Spin, Time, Vanity Fair, and Alternative Press.