Windows XP’s well-known hilly and clear day sky wallpaper known as the Bliss, remains one of the world’s most recognized images. It’s a picture that almost everyone has come across and anyone who claims otherwise is probably lying. This famous image was captured by photographer Charles O’Rear back in 1996, somewhere in Sonoma County, California. This picturesque green valley is known for winemaking, thus grapevines can be found here in abundance during the season. Interestingly, when O’Rear took the photo, he was on the way to meet his future wife, Daphne, and there were no grapevines on the hills.
In a conversation with CNET, he said, “There’s a time of the year in our mid-winter, in January when we’ve had rains. The grass is now getting a brilliant green. The storms are still coming through with rain and clouds. While I’m driving this beautiful, winding road to see Daphne, my God, the storm has just gone through, there are some white clouds, boy, I think I’ll just get out and make a couple of frames.”
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Charles took his Mamiya RZ67 film camera and captured the iconic shot, although it wasn’t his first attempt at capturing the hills’ beauty. He had previously taken photographs of the location, but his film camera didn’t capture the shot the same way on Kodachrome 64, which was considered the finest film camera available during the time.
Despite many believing that the Bliss might have been a Photoshopped picture by Charles before he uploaded it on Corbis, the stock photo and image licensing service established by Bill Gates in 1989, the photographer himself claims that it was an unedited photograph. Even today, he remains uncertain about how the Microsoft team came across his image.
Microsoft acquired the rights to Bliss from Charles O’Rear for an undisclosed amount. Although the photographer’s agreement prevented him from disclosing the exact amount, it is known to be one of the most expensive pictures.
As per reports from Ladbible, Bill Gates’s Microsoft had paid him over $100,000 (approximately Rs 82 Lakh) for the photograph during the time. The company even bought the Autumn wallpaper for Microsoft XP. This image was captured by Peter Burian, who had also uploaded it on Corbis. However, Microsoft paid him only $45 (approximately Rs 3000) for his photograph, which is far less than what Charles had received.
Interestingly, Charles worked at National Geographic and as a staff photographer at the Los Angeles Times. Currently, he dedicates his time to capturing images for books, professional projects and his personal website.