Kent Schaffer took up photography in high school, because he saw opportunity to meet girls when taking photos for the school newspaper and yearbook. But working as a criminal defense attorney in Houston didn’t leave him much time for hobbies, and he spent his free time with his kids.
But about 12 years ago, tragedy struck when his daughter, who was a high school senior and lived with him, became very ill after contracting the West Nile virus. When his daughter went to stay with her mother on weekends, Schaffer said he would fly to New York City, Paris or elsewhere to take pictures as an escape. In 2014, his daughter Max passed away from her illness. Schaffer said he then took some time off and traveled to places he wanted to experience and to take pictures. In 2015, Schaffer traveled to Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, France and other countries in Europe, and the Sahara Desert. “I try to look for different types of people, different types of experiences,” he said.
