In January 1996, former National Geographic photographer O'Rear was on his way from his home in St.

Microsoft chose the image because 'it illustrates the experiences Microsoft strives to provide customers (freedom, possibility, calmness, warmth, etc.).' ĭue to the market success of Windows XP, over the next decade it was claimed to be the most viewed photograph in the world during that time. The image also became part of Microsoft's $200 million 'Yes You Can' advertising campaign to promote their software, and has been the subject of many parodies.

The image would eventually be chosen as the default wallpaper, resulting in the company acquiring the image and renaming it to Bliss. Two years following the acquisition, Microsoft's design team selected images to be used as wallpapers in Windows XP. Westlight was bought by Corbis in 1998, who digitized its best selling images. He sold it to Westlight for use as a stock photo titled Bucolic Green Hills. While it was widely believed later that the image was manipulated or even created with software such as Adobe Photoshop, O'Rear says it never was. Overview įormer National Geographic photographer Charles O'Rear, a resident of the nearby Napa Valley, took the photo on film with a medium-format Mamiya RZ67 camera while on his way to visit his girlfriend in 1996.

It is estimated that billions of people have seen the picture, possibly making it the most viewed photograph in history. Charles O'Rear took the photo in January 1996 and Microsoft bought the rights in 2000. It is a virtually unedited photograph of a green hill and blue sky with white clouds in the Los Carneros American Viticultural Area of California's Wine Country.

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