A Brief History of Photography in Advertising Reading Answers

Jul 14, 2025

A Brief History of Photography in Advertising Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. A Brief History of Photography in Advertising Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. Such as Choose no more than three words and state whether the statement is true, false or not given with the information given in the text

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN ADVERTISING

Commercial photography has long had a significant place in the history of photography, and the advertising industry has been its largest benefactor.

In the late 19th century, photography was used only rarely to advertise products or businesses. Photographs occasionally appeared on business cards or as small informative pictures in catalogues and magazines, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that advertisers began to realise the enormous potential of this relatively new medium. At first, most preferred to use a treason why strategy, with the result that their photographs just showed consumers the benefits of the product. However, when advertising psychologists in the early 20th century demonstrated that consumers were open to suggestion, they provided support for a new suggestive advertising strategy, often called 'atmosphere advertising'. Some more adventurous advertisers had already been experimenting with this, arguing that photographs did not need to show what a product could do, but could instead create a mood or feeling that people would associate with that product.

One of the inspirations for this strategy was American illustrator and photographer John Hiller who, in the early 1900s, was illustrating stories in women's magazines with photographs. He employed a soft focus technique, and used dramatic lighting and complex stage sets to create visually stunning pictures. His style was revolutionary for the time, and it gradually occurred to advertisers that this type of picture would be ideal for illustrating advertisements. As a result, photographs in advertisements suddenly became very popular. In 1920, fewer than 15 percent of illustrated advertisements in mass-circulated magazines employed photographs. By the end of the decade, this figure had soared to about 80 percent. The tremendous new market for advertising photography provided a wealth of business opportunities for professional photographers. Clarence White, a successful pictorial photographer, led the way in training commercial photographers at his school in New York. He encouraged his students to apply a fine-art style of photography to industrial and commercial design, combining (as he put it) 'beauty and utility'. Some of his students went on to become New York's top commercial photographers. They practised a modernist style based on close-up views, spare geometric compositions, unusual vantage points and sharp focus that dominated advertising photography for the next twenty years. It was also at this time that images of real-life situations began to be used in advertising, a trend that became especially popular in the 1930s when the economic disaster of the Great Depression prompted advertisers to adopt the qualities of sincerity and realism in advertising imagery. The 1930s also saw technological progress in colour photography, and when commercial colour film went on sale for the first time in 1935, the widespread use of colour in advertising photography suddenly became much more affordable.

The dominant and most highly paid commercial photographer of the 1920s and 1930s was Edward Steichen. Like Clarence White, Steichen had been a pictorialist art photographer who turned to commerce. In 1923 he landed two commercial photography contracts - to produce fashion and celebrity portrait photographs for Condé Nast periodicals, and to produce advertising photographs for J. Walter Thompson, a major advertising agency. Over the next twenty years, he built up a huge client list, which included makers of beauty products, packaged foods, cars, jewellery and soaps. He was one of the first commercial photographers to work in close collaboration with his art directors, convincing them to look beyond conventional uses of photography in advertising (pictorialism for romance and suggestion; straight photography for information and reason why). During his long career, he evolved a persuasive photography style that projected ideals, aspirations and obvious fantasies, but made them seem attainable.

By the 1940s, advertising was seriously big business, and vastly increased budgets meant that photographers working for the business could be more and more ambitious and experimental. The two best-known commercial photographers at this time were Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. While both continued to use photographic modernism in their advertising photography. They developed highly personal styles. Penn's pictures were characterised by a minimalist style which projected an image of calm elegance. Avedon's photographs were much more dynamic and conveyed an important message: the world was changing, and it was changing very quickly. His work, perhaps more than any other, was to influence future commercial photographers, and his style is still very popular today.

Commercial photography in the 1960s was less stylistically unified than in previous decades. It also saw a greater emphasis on internationalism and greater collaboration with art directors. Furthermore, there were huge changes in beliefs and attitudes, especially with regard to the way we behaved, or the way we saw ourselves and others. The advertising industry could not ignore this, with the result that newer representations of things like gender roles took their place alongside traditional ones. This set the tone for advertising photography in the remaining decades of the 20th century. Advertising around the turn of the 21st century provoked new content-based controversies. Where mid-20th-century advertising photography was often criticised for promoting overly traditional visions of life or unrealistic material aspirations, criticism of today's advertising has targeted images that glamorise unhealthy lifestyles. Criticism has also been directed at advertisements that appear to be trying to shock, offend or provoke rather than sell a product. One well-known clothing company, for example, received a lot of negative attention when it used powerful images of prisoners, refugees and a blood-covered T-shirt in a series of advertisements. These became notorious for their provocative content and led to a re-evaluation of what should and shouldn't be acceptable in advertising.

Questions 14-18

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.

SIGNIFICANT MOMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHIC ADVERTISING

1920s

Event: Huge increase in number of illustrated advertisements using photographs.

Reason or cause: Advertisers begin to realise that (14)........... photographs are perfect for

advertising purposes.

Answer: (VISUALLY) STUNNING

Supporting statement: visually stunning pictures. His style was revolutionary for the time, and it gradually occurred to advertisers that this type of picture would be ideal for illustrating advertisements

Keywords: visually stunning, advertisers, illustrating

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 4-5

Explanation: According to the text, visually stunning pictures were used by advertisers in the 1920s after they found that the pictures were perfect for advertising purposes.

1930s

Event: Popularity of pictures showing (15)................ Colour in advertising photography becomes more widespread.

Answer: REAL-LIFE SITUATIONS

Supporting statement: It was also at this time that images of real-life situations began to be used in advertising, a trend that became especially popular in the 1930s

Keywords: real-life, 1930s

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 16-17

Explanation: According to the text, in the 1930s, pictures depicting real-life situations became very popular in the advertising industry.

Reason or cause: Advertisers respond to a serious financial crisis (16)................ becomes available.

Answer: COMMERCIAL COLOUR FILM

Supporting statement: The 1930s also saw technological progress in colour photography, and when commercial colour film went on sale for the first time in 1935

Keywords: colour photography, commercial

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 19-20

Explanation: According to the text, the commercial coloured film went on sale for the first time in the 1930s due to the technical progress in colour photography at that time.

1940s

Event: Commercial photographers become increasingly (17)................

Answer: AMBITIOUS AND EXPERIMENTAL

Supporting statement: By the 1940s, advertising was seriously big business, and vastly increased budgets meant that photographers working for the business could be more and more ambitious and experimental.

Keywords: 1940s, ambitious and experimental

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 1-2

Explanation: Photographers in the 1940s became ambitious and experimental due to the increased popularity of commercial advertising.

Reason or cause: More money is available for advertising.

1960s

Event: (18)............. are portrayed in a new way in advertisements.

Reason or cause: Changes in beliefs and attitudes.

Answer: GENDER ROLES

Supporting statement: The advertising industry could not ignore this, with the result that newer representations of things like gender roles took their place alongside traditional ones.

Keywords: advertising, gender roles

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 4-5

Explanation: In the 1960s, gender roles took place alongside the traditional ones in the advertising industry.

Questions 19-22

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.

- Edward Steichen turned to commercial photography after illustrating stories.

- In 1923, began taking pictures for magazines and a (19)..................

Answer: MAJOR ADVERTISING AGENCY

Supporting statement: Edward Steichen. Like Clarence White, Steichen had been a pictorialist art photographer who turned to commerce. In 1923 he landed two commercial photography contracts

Keywords: Clarence White,

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 2-3

Explanation: According to the tab, Edward Steichen changed his career from being a pictorial art photographer to a commercial photographer in 1923 when he landed a big commercial photography contract for Condé Nast periodicals, and to produce advertising photographs for J. Walter Thompson, a major advertising agency.

- spent (20)......................working with many different companies.

Answer: TWENTY / 20 YEARS

Supporting statement: Over the next twenty years, he built up a huge client list, which included makers of beauty products,

Keywords: twenty years, products

Keyword Location: Para 3, Line 6

Explanation: According to the text, Edward Steichen spent almost the next 20 years working for different companies, which mostly makers included beauty products

- Persuaded art directors that they should be less (21).....................in the way they used

photographs.

Answer: CONVENTIONAL

Supporting statement: He was one of the first commercial photographers to work in close collaboration with his art directors, convincing them to look beyond conventional uses of photography in advertising

Keywords: photographers, conventional

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 7-8

Explanation: According to the text, Edward was one of the first commercial photographers who convinced his art director to work beyond the conventional use of Photography in advertisement.

- Developed a (22)..................which made difficult or impossible things seem achievable.

Answer: PERSUASIVE PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE

Supporting statement: During his long career, he evolved a persuasive photography style that projected ideals, aspirations and obvious fantasies, but made them seem attainable.

Keywords: persuasive photography, projected ideals, fantasies

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 10-11

Explanation: According to the text, Edward also developed a first basic photography style which made projected ideal aspirations and obvious fantasies attainable

Questions 23-26

Do the following statements agree with the information in the Reading passage? Write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

23. Advertising psychologists in the early 20th century came up with the idea for a new advertising strategy known as 'atmosphere advertising'.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: advertising psychologists in the early 20th century demonstrated that consumers were open to suggestion, they provided support for a new suggestive advertising strategy, often called 'atmosphere advertising'.

Keywords: 20th century, suggestive, atmosphere

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 8-10

Explanation: According to the text, advertising psychologists in the early 20th century did not come up with the idea for a new advertising strategy known as the atmosphere advertising. Instead, they supported the new suggested idea.

24. John Hiller's photographs were often used to illustrate advertisements.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No information regarding John Hiller's photograph being used in the illustrated advertisement is given in the passage.

25. Photographs by Irving Penn and Richard Avedon contained both similarities and differences.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: While both continued to use photographic modernism in their advertising photography. They developed highly personal styles.

Keywords: modernism, personal styles

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 4-5

Explanation: According to the text, there were many similarities and differences in the photographs of Irving Penn and Richard Avedon. Use of modernism was similar in both, but they had developed highly personal styles. Penn's images were distinguished by their simplicity, which conveyed a sense of peaceful elegance. Avedon's images have a lot more energy and a significant message.

26. Some modern advertisers believe that people pay more attention to an advertisement if it contains deliberately provocative images.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No Mention is given about people paying more attention to an advertisement if it contains provocative images. According to some modern advertisers, the above passage.

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