Image Idea #1--Toilets

What technology was most responsible for the development of civilization?  The printing press?  Electricity?  Try the toilet!

Imagine New York City (7 million folks who eat and drink a lot of smelly stuff!) without good toilets and sewers.  Yecch!  There is a lot of stuff going on under our feet (and our seat) that we take for granted.  Take a look at these sites, if you want to know more:

www.toiletology.com
www.plumbingworld.com

Given the toilet's status in our daily lives and cultural history, it is surprising how neglected it has been by the world of stock photos.  Yes, there are taboos surrounding toilets and some people think they are gross or "dirty."  But, in a Janet Jackson/Howard Stern world of tackiness and toilet humor, the toilet should be iconic for a number of advertising and design purposes.

For instance:

Toilet = get rid of something, clean up, wash things away.  Maybe we should all change our trash can icons, to toilets?
Toilet = relax, read the paper, get ready for the day.  Come on, don't lie.  Haven't you sometimes lingered an extra minute or two, to finish that article?
Toilet = illness, stress, travel problems.  Remember how glad you were to finally get back from that trip where you had that bad water?

I am proud to say that my company, Index Stock Imagery, has a collection of 120 toilet images.  (try this link, to see them.)  However, I don't feel we have the full range of concepts or "situations."  For instance:

Toilet attendents.  They exist, but I guess we ignore them?
Duelling toilets.  A couple could be facing each other, but on toilets.
Toilet racers.  Don't you dream of your toilet turning into a jet plane or a motorcycle?  Well, you're not five years old anymore, but you probably used to.
Colorful toilets.  Yes, they exist, but do we have them in our file?  No!  We are still in the white bed sheet era, when it come to toilets.
The throne as a throne.  You get the idea.  King for a moment?

Just to stimulate you a bit more, here are a couple of the things we do have:

How many other things have you seen people doing while they are "doing their thing?"

Didn't you always want your own silver maid to clean your house and toilet?

How many times has it happened, to you?

Too many people spend too much time creating the same images.  There are meaningful and interesting subjects all around us, that we should pay attention to and make images of.  It should be something to think about, the next time you pick up a camera, or when you...

Comments

[Pat Canova]

Hi Bahar:

Why isn't my image #551773 of a boat outhouse listed among your toilet pix?

Thanks, Pat

[Bahar Gidwani]

To see the image, go to:

http://www.indexstock.com/store/Chubby.asp?ImageNumber=551773

A great image for several reasons:

1. Color. Exposure. A professional shot.
2. Unique.
3. Nice topic mix. Boats + bathrooms + rural scene + travel commentary.
4. Fully captioned (I'd like to have the town on the shot, too...)

Not in the blog for two reasons:

1. Keyworded as an "outdoor" "bathroom" or "outhouse." When we did this part of the keyword structure, I remember making the distinction between toilet/urban and outhouse/rural. Our research (and we actually looked into it) found that buyers normally didn't mix the two categories!

2. I always think of boats when I see this shot. Boat toilets are called "heads." That leaves me lexically confused as to what to call this. (A head toilet?)

Bahar

[Pat Canova]

Hi Bahar:

Not to seem obstinate, but there are 10 outhouses included in your link to "toilets". Why not just add the keyword "toilet" to my boat outhouse pix, after all it is the most unusual one and it is, basically, a toilet. Thanks, Pat

[Bahar Gidwani]

Dear Pat,

We have lots of small inconsistencies in our keywording. I'll ask the folks in that department to look at this issue and harmonize our toilets! (Isn't that a nice image? How about a shot of toilets as piano keys or other instruments? A commentary on where music is going?)

Bahar

[Pat Canova]

I love it! Harmonized toilets....

[Bahar Gidwani]

Just suffered a four hour travel delay because the toilets on the plane had broken. Trooped off the plane, hung around, waited and waited and waited... But, 200 people just can't go five hours, without a toilet!

Another piece of proof of the importance of toilets.

While I waited, I came up with more toilet image ideas (of course):

1. A line of people waiting for a toilet. (Or a port-a-potty.)
2. People washing their hands, taking a paper-towel-based sponge bath, or otherwise coping with a long travel delay.
3. Little kid next to Dad at the urinals (they often have low urinals for the kids, now).

Enough? Remember, the point isn't toilets, it is how many interesting concepts and useful images are lurking in most common life situations.

Bahar

[Derick Rhodes]

Great toilet shots from fStop!