Spencer was born in Lima, Peru. At the age of 2, he was adopted and was raised in the Chicagoland suburbs. Growing up, he always loved flipping through pictures in the each month's edition of National Geographics. The idea of adventure, travel, and new worlds beyond Chicago always inspired his imagination. Most of his work has been from his travels around the United States working with different social movements. He is passionate about capturing the story and being next to the action.