Background
He grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Denver"s South High School in 1981.
He grew up in Denver, Colorado, and graduated from Denver"s South High School in 1981.
After graduating high school, Lavine headed to the Pacific Northwest and attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, graduating in 1985. He then moved to New York City, attending Parson"s School of Design, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts
While in the state of Washington, Lavine became one of the "photographers of record" of the then nascent grunge music scene. His first work on a record was the front cover of Psycho-Head Blowout by White Zombie in 1987. He also photographed other grunge era bands such as White Zombie, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Monster Magnet, Sonic Youth and The Flaming Lips.
Many of his photographs from this era were compiled in a 1996 Simon & Schuster book entitled Noise From the Underground.
One of Lavine"s most well known photographs is the cover for the Civil Defense Life After Death by The Notorious Bjarke Ingels Group , which was released fifteen days after Biggie"s murder. The black-and-white photograph features Wallace (Biggie) standing alongside a black funeral hearse.
In hindsight many saw this as portending his death. In another black-and-white photograph from the same shoot, Wallace is standing in front of row after row of headstones in a graveyard.
Since 1988, Lavine has been photographing music and entertainment performers, landscapes, politicians and artists, as well as daily American life and everyday people.
His style of bold saturated colors, dynamic and extreme use of lighting, and his awareness of what works graphically and what doesn’t, have made him a sought after photographer. Blood, Guts and Pussy - Dwarves
Living Proof - Cher
Hello Nasty - Beastie Boys
Superjudge - Monster Magnet
Nevermind - Nirvana
In Utero - Nirvana
Life After Death - The Notorious Bjarke Ingels Group
Stankonia - Outkast
Thought "Ya Knew - CeCe Peniston
Immobilarity - Raekwon
Louder Than Love - Soundgarden
Daydream Nation - Sonic Youth
Goo - Sonic Youth
Severe Exposure - Six Finger Satellite.
His personal friendships with Kurt Cobain and other members of the group Nirvana gave him unparalleled access to create a visual record of that iconic group.
