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 Rings-4-U is the companion eStore to Thumb-Ring.Com. Over two years of hard work were given to create this funky store. This page shows some of the photos that were purchased from iStockPhoto to decorate the store's site. Some were used eventually, others not. Enjoy reading about the selection process while designing a new web site.

Maybe you're interested in designing your own web site some day? This might give you an idea of the things to consider.



This is the first photograph purchased from iStockPhoto. The plan was to use it on the page for anklets. By the time that page was programmed, I had already contracted with a photographer to shoot some photos where the model was wearing both an anklet and toe rings. Such photos are difficult to find because most people photograph people's faces, not their feet! Anyway, this photo was never used by the Rings-4-U store.



This photo is one of a handful of my favorites from iStockPhoto. Even though the model is not wearing thumb rings, I really like the jewelry selection. The model's pose, slight smile, and fashions fit perfectly with the style being portrayed on the Rings-4-U site. A cropped version of this photo, shown below, was used on the main shopping page of the site. Notice that the size had to be reduced. This is because the site is designed to look good on people with smaller screen resolutions. The main focus is the model's beautiful face and her wonderful jewelry selection.





This is a really nice photograph originally selected for the earring page of Rings-4-U. In fact, it was used for a period of time. The model is nicely highlighting her earrings with her hand, and the black and white photo is classic. I later decided to use another iStockPhoto photograph for the earring page because I fell in love with the new model's face, and the earrings and necklace were exactly the same as ones the store offered. One of the problems with using stock photography is that the picture isn't always exactly what one would like. In this case, the new photograph is exactly what I would choose if I were the photographer! The new photo is shown below.





When I first saw this photo on iStockPhoto, I instantly fell in love! It has a great picture of a thumb ring (and others!). The model portrays a very seductive pose, which I hoped would entice others to consider a purchase. When this photo was first purchased from iStockPhoto, the Rings-4-U site did not have a page devoted strictly to thumb rings. I decided to replace a very weak photograph I had for the bracelet page of the site. This photo was used for quite a while. I later decided that I wanted a unified appearance to the site, so I searched for an appropriate model/photographer team. This led me to a photographer in the exotic country of Argentina! To convince the model to do a photo shoot, I placed a picture of her wearing a bracelet onto the site. That photograph, also purchased from iStockPhoto, is shown below. By the time you read this, the final photographs on the Rings-4-U bracelet page may be in place. Take a look, see the wonderful photography, and let me know what you think!





If you've followed along this far, you will recognize this photo from earlier. This is the original photo purchased from iStockPhoto. Notice that I cropped the photo to draw attention to the earrings and necklace.





I found it very difficult to find a photograph where the model was wearing the type of silver necklace chains sold at Rings-4-U. Many models either go without a necklace or wear one with lots of beads. I finally came across this photo, which was an improvement. I had to severely crop the photo in order to bring the necklace to the forefront. I knew I would have to continue my search, but this tided over the necklace page for a while.





I think this photo is a classic for being on the Rings-4-U rings page. The model appears very glamorous and stylish. I think the black and white photo also makes her jewelry look exquisite and enticing. Notice in the picture below that I've cropped to focus on the model's eyes and hand. This photo has recently been replaced with another photo of our model from Argentina, again to let her see her photograph on the web site. That photo is shown later on this page.





Here's a later photo I purchased for the Rings-4-U rings page. I like it because the types of rings worn by the model are similar in style to those offered for sale. However, I later decided the photo was too seductive looking for the target audience, even after cropping. I still like the photos, but I'm not sure the customers would.





I felt this necklace photo was an improvement over the one used earlier. It shows the necklaces much better. However, the model's smile is quirky. This photo is an example of where having a single model across all of the pages of the Rings-4-U site will give the site a pleasant, uniform theme and look. The photo below was slightly cropped to focus the eye totally on the model.





It took a long time to find a great pendant photo, but when I came across this one, I knew I had found it! This model is very attractive and has a great expression on her face. The pendant hangs very nicely from her neck. I cropped the photograph below to highlight the best features, the model's face and pendant.





When I decided it would be a good idea to have a Rings-4-U page dedicated to selling thumb rings, I needed a photo for that page. Of course I went back to iStockPhoto to search. I came across this photo and thought it might work. The model is pretty and is wearing a nice selection of rings, including a thumb ring. After purchasing it and cropping it the best I could, I decided not to use it. I just couldn't get both the model's face and her hands into the final photo so that the emphasis would be on her hands. When looking at the photo, my eyes always wander back to the model's face, not to her hands. It's because the high angle at which the photo was taken moves her hands more into the background. Oh well, back to the drawing board I went!





I finally hit pay dirt for the Rings-4-U thumb ring page! The model is pretty, stylish, and has a great pose. As you can see, her hand is brought up to her face, so the eye doesn't have to fight going back and forth between her expressive face and her hand. Good job!



During a recent trip to Chicago I stumbled across a new supplier who had a great selection of dangle earrings. I considered changing the current photo, which features hoop earrings, to one that highlights dangle earrings. This is the picture I found. Notice how distant the model is in this photograph. To get close enough to compose a great cropped photo, I had to purchase the largest photo offered. You can see below that the cropped photograph was both well composed and detailed. I imagine the photographer, who is located in Poland, would never have imagined a photograph taken inside an abandoned factory could have landed a place within a jewelry eStore!

Ultimately I decided to pass on this photo. As I've said before, I really like the earlier photo with the hoop earrings. It was a difficult choice!





As I've explained earlier, one of my goals has been to create a consistent look across the entire Ring-4-U site. I discovered this model and replaced the earlier photograph for the rings page with this one. This allowed her to get an idea of how the photos would be used on the site. I especially like her expressive smile.

By the time you read this, I may have made the changes on the Ring-4-U site. What do you think? Email me at email@thumb-ring.com to let me know!



Here is another example of this model. This photo was also temporarily put onto the bracelet page to give her an idea of how her photos would be used. Working with a photographer and model from Argentina definitely had some wrinkles, but I think the effort was worth the results. Email me at email@thumb-ring.com to tell me whether you agree or disagree.


I hope you've enjoyed reading about how I used the services of iStockPhoto to decorate the Ring-4-U site. There are many other photos to view there. Here are some I found related specifically to thumb rings. Enjoy!