About

WELCOME

ABOUT Stephan Partipilo's personal stock image website


Welcome to my stock image website. This site was created in 2020 during the pandemic as a safe space where I can upload my works in peace, and also potentially earn a living from my craft via independent crowd funding.


WORK IN PEACE // WORK INDEPENDENTLY

Having a safe space to dump all of your personal work is essential these days for any survivor out there. Creators need an archive and body of works. Our portfolios are proof that we exist and can accomplish things. They are proof of our commitments. We cannot let the bias and unpredictable nature of social media dictate if our careers "live" or "die". 

Social media posts and accounts can be removed for any reason and without warning. I have never broken any of Meta’s terms or conditions but still lost a 16.4k instagram account back in 2023.

There’s simply no fair due process on the internet. Anytime someone speaks out about cancel culture, they are gaslighted and the mob always blames the victim.There’s no such thing as an un-biased, non-biased, moderator or social media. All moderators have their own biases. They are human beings with opinions just like you and me. They make their judgements based on however they feel that day. Tolerance for peoples differences on social media is determined by the personal views and agenda's of whomever owns that social media platform. I do not want my career and freedoms dictated by that person. Do you?


BENEFITS OF OWNERSHIP

Better uploading process  -  Traditional stock image websites have their own ways of doing things. For example, most only allow users to upload one single image at a time. Users must set terms and conditions (along with many other details such as hashtags, geo-tags, etc) per each single image. This process is incredibly time-consuming and tedious. I got into photography to use my camera and hang out with other creatives who are just as enthusiastic about shooting as I am, not to sit behind a screen all day uploading. My website allows me to upload entire complete photoshoots in bulk, without limitations.

Freedom from competition  -  These days, traditional stock image websites also use invisible A.I. algorithms. A users works can be pushed down and never seen if someone else's works are more trending or more popular. There are no A.I. algorithms on my website. In fact, I am the only content creator on this website. I don't have to compete with anyone on my website.

Freedom from disagreements  -  Owning your very own stock image website has way more practical benefits than most content creators realize. For example: there is no "report" button a mob of haters can spam/abuse. Any disagreeable people can't see the works in the first place without paying to do so. There's no commenting feature. There's no invisible "algorithm" or A.I. controlling it. I don't have to worry about trends or hashtags. There's no limit to the quantity of photoshoots I can upload. 

More practical and easier to use  -  Unlike other crowdfunding websites (like patreon, brandarmy, or boosty) I don't have to scroll for days to find a photoshoot I did in the past thanks to my websites "search" function feature. 

Freedom from social media's Terms and Conditions  -  Apple, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, etc. change their Terms and Conditions multiple times per year. Sometimes they send you an email letting you know the change is happening soon. Sometimes they change things on their platforms and don't tell you at all; and then people debate on forums like Reddit about if something changed or not because not everyone is affected by those changes/updates at the same time.

Portfolio/Archive  -  It's more important than ever for artists and content creators to 1) have a safe space where they can show off their works in peace, and 2) enable their fans, supporters, and patrons of the arts, so they can crowdfund independently without having to worry about any disagreeable folk out there who might seek to cancel or sabotage them.


THANKS SO MUCH

If you like the work I do and want to see it continue please consider supporting me via this website. Thanks for taking the time to read this about page, and for checking out my work. Feel free to reach out if you have any serious inquiries.
F.A.Q's About Photographer’s Fine Art And The Store


Why do you sell images?  

  • First let's clarify something : I do NOT "sell images". The word "sell" implies a transfer of ownership. Stephan Partipilo LLC retains 100% ownership and all rights of and to the works displayed via this website at all times. Viewers may pay to view on demand but do not own anything. No images are sold here. This is like when you "purchase" a video game or movie. You do not actually own the game or the movie. You have only paid to own a license to play the game, or view the movie, and sometimes can download onto your device so internet is not required.
  • Second : there is a demand to see my works. I started back in 2008 or 2009 and uploaded my images to various photography websites like 500px, exposure(dot)co, Flickr, and various photography forums and social media groups. I built up an audience and a following over many years. In 2019 I began plans to monetize and earn a living from my personal model photography and art work so I could quit my day-job and pursue model photography full time. I'm very thankful to be able to earn a living doing what I love. 


Who’s viewing your work? 

  • Whoever wants to see it. One of the nice things about having a paywall is that only people who actually want to see your work will see it, while haters or anyone that dislikes your work (haters) will not see it. It's just like "who’s following your social media"? Whoever wants to see it and whoever you let see it. 
  • One of the hardest things for an artist to do is to get themselves out there and be judged by everyone. Think of any successful pop music artist or celebrity and they have as many haters as they do fans and supporters. This is what I do for a living. I prefer to work with people who don’t mind being seen, and who don’t care what other people think. These are attitudes and practices I live by. I seek like-minded human beings to collaborate with. 
  • One thing to note is that I'm shooting for myself. I'm not shooting model photography for anyone else but me. There is no "target audience". I'm passionate about what I do. It turns out that if you're good at something the world will pay you to keep doing it. 


Why do you photograph feet? 

  • For the same reason I photograph creative portraits; because I personally enjoy it and am passionate about the work. I’ve been photographing feet and faces since my high school days. Feet photography has always been part of my identity. People call me the “feet guy” sometimes. It has become a signature of mine. When people look at a photoshoot they automatically know it was crafted by me. I enjoy portraits and feet photography equally. I do not want to do just one. I want to do both. That’s why I hire models so I can shoot for myself as an independent niche artist and content creator. 
  • Please note : the feet are never doing anything "inappropriate" or "suggestive". No "acts" are ever "simulated". I want my feet photography to be pretty, beautiful, and wholesome, while also utilizing the same state-of-the-art techniques and attention-to-details such as lighting, composition, and depth-of-field. 
  • We also talk with every model and their representatives, prior to our first shooting experience together, to discuss and go over details including feet photography. This is to double check and make certain she and her parents, party, or legal representatives are comfortable with everything. 


Why are some of the models featured so young? 

  • It's a managerial decision. I like working with parents and legal representatives closer to my own age. If/when parents reach out wanting me to work with their kids and I'm happy to do so. 
  • It's also an artistic and subjective decision. I grew up admiring all the fashion marketing promos at the mall and in magazines. I grew up with MTV and VH1. All those clothes from Zumiez, Tillys, HM, Forever21, (mall clothing, etc) are marketed towards kids, teens, and younger human beings. It's fun to celebrate cool outfits, concepts, and themes through a visual medium such as photography. 
  • Also, why not? Why would you not want to help a kid out if you could and had the means to do so? If I can use my craft to provide a fun, safe, beneficial experience while also doing what I love, that is a good thing in my opinion. I don't think I'm alone there. 


Why a store? 

  • Many reasons. The first reason is crowdfunding. These photoshoots are not cheap to produce. There are so many costs of doing business in addition to covering labor such as talent and agency fees. My business includes multiple web hosting costs, payment processing costs, attorney/legal fees, accounting fees, gear/equipment and maintenance fees, travel costs, set design and production costs like props, outfits, and such, as well as paying multiple forms of taxes (city, state, federal, and any other institutions or establishments owed to such as Portland Tri-Met). It should go without saying that I also want to cover my costs of living too.
  • The store is also a legacy-archive of works. It's also fully customizable. It’s just like when a band sells their music or their merch. It's an extension of their expression and not just a storefront. When I’m gone, these model photoshoots are what I’ll leave behind. 
  • Aesthetic is another reason. A Patreon account looks like Patreon. An Indiegogo account or Kickstarter look like themselves too. When I was a kid growing up in the early 2000s, I'd go onto my favorite metal bands websites, look at their Merch pages, and it felt like you had not left their main website. It felt like you were still on their main website. But the truth is that most music artists merch sites are completely separate from their main sites, just designed to look as close as possible so the user feels they have not left the main site at all. I wanted my crowdfunding site to look and feel like an extension of my main website stephanpartipilo.com. I feel this store accomplishes that vision. 
  • Having my own store also frees me from having to adhere to any other websites terms and conditions. Websites like BrandArmy, Patreon, Boosty, or other subscription websites, are their own companies with their own terms and conditions -subject to change at any time. They change their policies regularly through out the year. 
  • Having my own store allows me to control the distribution as well. If you sell images via Gettys, Shutterstock, iStockPhoto, Pexels, etc, you’re forced to sell one single image at a time and the mark-up price for a sale can be very high. I grew up seeing complete photoshoots or photo albums and desire to create collections of photos, as oppose to a single image. I like taking more than one single image during my photoshoots. I also can set the price for viewing said photoshoots to meet my own supply/demand, and not just whatever is “trending” on someone else’s web platform. 
  • Having my own store also allows me to operate independently and avoid any disagreeable people, internet trolls, or haters who may otherwise abuse a "report" button on social media. 


How do you get so many girls to model for you? 

  • This is a question we get mostly from aspiring photographers. The simple answer is we don’t “get” anything. We simply ask to pitch a vision, idea, or concept. Turns out there’s a lot of human beings willing to work together. Get out there and find out. 
  • Professionals in the creative arts industry are always looking for opportunities to apply themselves. Sometimes models reach out to us and if we are available we set up a meeting. We wish we could work with everyone but schedules, budgeting, and availability are a huge factor for us. 
  • There's also value in the work we do. There's experience gained working with a full-time photographer. Models receive legitimate pay and also get copies of the photos and can do anything with them. It’s a great opportunity for models looking to build and grow their portfolios. 


Thanks for taking the time to check out FAQ. Have another question? Email [email protected] and we'll get back to you asap. Serious inquiries only.