Brittany Kelley
HAYS COUNTY — Following mention of former Apollo Global Management — which owns Lifetouch's parent company Shutterfly — CEO Leon Black in the Epstein files, schools across the nation have cancelled class picture days with the photography company. Now, Hays CISD and Dripping Springs ISD have begun reconsidering their own contracts, as well.
Apollo was established in 1990 and serves investors in credit, equity and real assets strategies, according to its website.
Black acted as chair and CEO since the company's inception, but later stepped down from his position in March 2021, stated the Associated Press to “focus on family, health and ‘many other interests.’”
Prior to lessening his role within the organization, Apollo purchased Shutterfly — Lifetouch’s parent company — in 2019. This was following Epstein’s death in August 2019.
In 2025, Black’s name was noted numerous times in the Epstein files — a collection of documents detailing activities of Jeffrey Epstein — following their initial release.
The culmination of the Epstein files follows the charge of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. According to the Department of Justice, the financier allegedly “sexually exploited and abused dozens of underaged girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts with him in exchange for money … In creating and maintaining this network of minor victims in multiple states to abuse and exploit sexually, Epstein worked with others, including employees and associates who facilitated his conduct by, among other things, contacting victims and scheduling their sexual encounters with Epstein at the New York Residence and at the Palm Beach Residence.”
While awaiting his trail, he died by suicide in 2019. Since then, several influential names have been mentioned in the files, which contain allegations of sexual abuse.
Black was found more than 8,000 times in the files, where there were transactions from the CEO in amounts sometimes exceeding $100,000. Additionally, in 2016, an email reads that “Leon Black will come see JE tomorrow at 10 a.m. … He may want breakfast … Please be prepared …” There are also other appointments with Black listed throughout the files.
Although Apollo didn’t purchase Shutterfly — and thus, Lifetouch — until 2019, a month after Epstein’s death in August, parents and school districts raised concerns, following the connection to Black. Some questioned whether student portraits were passed around in the alleged sex trafficking ring hosted by Epstein. This led to several districts severing their ties with the photography company, including Athens ISD in Texas and Carter County Schools in Kentucky.
Lifetouch released a statement in response to the distress:
“When Lifetouch photographers take your student’s picture, that image is safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions. Lifetouch does not – and has never provided – images to any third party,” said CEO Ken Murphy. “Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Shutterfly, the parent company of Lifetouch. Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and therefore no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images.”
Murphy also stated that “Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files,” and though there are no seemingly explicit mentions in conversations or photos, a purchase statement period from 2019 in the files does note that a $106.70 purchase was made from Lifetouch.
“This is an online social media conspiracy, with no basis in facts. We don’t know how the rumor started but we want to ensure the public has the facts about this situation, which is unfairly impacting our business and employees,” Murphy continued.
Despite this assurance from Lifetouch that student portraits are secure, two school districts within Hays County have shared that they will be reconsidering their contract with Lifetouch come fall 2026.
Blake Barington, Dripping Springs ISD communications specialist, stated that, currently, five of six elementary schools in the district use Lifetouch for school portraits and, although photo days for this school year are complete, the district will be reviewing the contract to determine whether it will continue. According to a 2024 post to the district’s high school website, senior photos seem to be taken by Cady Photography.
Hays CISD has been using Lifetouch for more than 15 years, said chief communication officer Tim Savoy. Most recently, a request for proposal was done in 2018 — prior to Apollo’s acquisition — and awarded Lifetouch the contract to serve all campuses. This decision was likely based on several factors, including product quality, ability to integrate with district information technology and cost to parents, said Savoy. Additionally, he said that the contract is through The Interlocal Purchasing System bidding cooperative, which vets vendors for compliance with state regulations. The district also does not pay for Lifetouch’s services.
The contract, continued Savoy, shared that Hays CISD does not independently own the photos taken by Lifetouch, as, “It is standard in the photography business for photography companies and independent photographers to retain the copyrights to photos in an attempt to prevent customers from buying one photo and reproducing them without paying for photography packages. When people buy photographs from professional photography companies, they are usually actually just buying a license to have a version of the photographs. Though the district doesn’t technically own the copyright to the photos, Lifetouch is bound by federal law to protect student privacy.”
The photographers are also screened by Hays CISD and student information is limited in release, with the district only sharing what is necessary to conduct picture day.
“We learned of the connection with the rest of the country earlier in February,” shared Savoy. “Moving forward, and prior to fall picture days, the district will continue to conduct a thorough review of Lifetouch and potentially consider other vendors in accordance with policy and state procurement laws.”
To streamline this process, the district has created a committee to consider — if the district can under the current agreement with Lifetouch — soliciting proposals from photography vendors.
“The district needs parents to choose to allow children to have fall pictures taken and understands that parents must be comfortable with the company awarded the contract to take school photos in Hays CISD,” Savoy said.
For more information on Hays CISD’s current contract status, visit www.hayscisd.net/lifetouch.
Wimberley ISD is the only district to not have a contract with Lifetouch, according to Allen Bruggman, communications director. Instead, Austin photographing company Photo Texas has been the provider for Danforth Junior High School since 2013, Jacob’s Well Elementary School since 2021 and Blue Hole Primary School since 2022. Recently, Wimberley High School entered into an agreement with Cady Photography based on photo quality, speed of delivery and other perks, said Bruggman, though it previously used Photo Texas, as well.
Cady Photography’s contract provides joint ownership to the photos, while informing “WISD that they do not share or sell data in any way, and are SOC 2 compliant, which is a voluntary framework for service providers to prove they securely manage customer data. Photo Texas claims that no data or metrics are sold to third parties, that they're compliant with [Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act] student privacy regulations, and all previous years' photos are securely archived and encrypted,” the director shared.
“Wimberley ISD remains steadfast in its commitment to making the safety and security of our students our highest priority,” he concluded.
As the remaining contracts with Lifetouch remain uncertain, parents, such as Dripping Springs resident Teresa Tautfest, urged the districts on social media to “hire local” instead, while Mari Verastegui said that her family has opted out of photos with Lifetouch in Hays CISD.
For community members wishing to search the Epstein files to conduct their own research, visit www.justice.gov/epstein.
