Lance Mercer | b. 1966

 “I was involved in the punk scene in Seattle and realized early on that if I had a camera, I could probably get into shows easier and up closer than without a camera. I didn’t have to be Ansel Adams to take photographs. I didn’t have to be a technical wizard. The same kind of ethos that the Ramones had musically, I could apply photographically.”   ~ Lance Mercer

Within the past two decades, it has become increasingly difficult to flip through major musical publications or albums at a store and not come across a jaw-dropping, iconic image by the inspiring Lance Mercer.  

Born and raised in Seattle, Mercer began documenting in his early teens the punk scene, as well as life with his friends and their bands: unique individuals who would eventually became the voices behind one of the PNW’s most important musical movements.  At the visual vanguard of chronicling its magnificent, down-to-earth, and egalitarian zeitgeist, Mercer employed his instinctive intuition for capturing vulnerable souls, keen eye for brilliant composition, and compassionate humanity for earning the trust of wary hearts, forever immortalizing groundbreaking visionaries—a number of whom are tragically no longer with us—in his devastatingly glorious, unpretentious, and ofttimes warmly-candid shots.

Fully aware of his calling early on, he entered photography school at the age of 17.  After graduating with a degree in commercial photography, he became a full-time freelance photographer in 1991.  Captivated by the musician’s life, as well as the symbiotic relationship between artist and fans, Mercer captured the energy of individuals who changed music history forever.  His dynamic subjects ranged from passionate basement punks to charismatic characters who eventually formed bands like Malfunkshun, Mother Love Bone, Screaming Trees, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam.  Mercer was invited to tour with Pearl Jam from 1992 to 1995 as their official photographer, and with this unparalleled access, caught some of the most intimate and intoxicating moments of one of the world’s most private bands.

He has since released two books related to this period: a retrospective with fellow Seattle photographer, Charles Peterson, called Place/Date (1997), and 5X1: Pearl Jam Through the Eye of Lance Mercer (2007).  Today, Mercer remains in demand as a visual storyteller, applying his talents in the music, editorial, and commercial worlds, as well as in the production, direction, and filming of documentary projects.  His work continues to be published and exhibited locally and internationally.

Charina Pitzel