Do You Know The Story of Microsoft's Iconic Desktop Pic Bliss!!

Most of us use Windows XP version in our pc. Not only us, 75% of pc user uses this version. This is the most popular windows version of Microsoft yet. And I guess anyone who's looked at the Microsoft Windows default desktop screen in the last 10 years is very familiar with the following pic. Isn’t you?

Do you remember the pic?I think it’s not tough also for a normal XP user. Because we saw it thousand times on our monitor screen. But have you ever think what place it is or who is the photographer of this pic? Well, this picture belongs from Napa valley of North America & it is the work of photographer Charles O'Rear. This photograph of a grassy Sonoma County, Calif, hill called "Bliss" by Microsoft, earned him the second-highest payout for a living photographer in American history. Bliss is the most seen picture of the world. It has been seen more than billion times yet.

O’Rear has spent a long time of his career with National geography channel. He started being famous working there. And his photograph “bliss” was taken more dramatically in January, 2001. He was 60 years old that time. And in that specific day he was driving his car with his girlfriend on the way of Napa Valley. It was a sunny day. There was Vineyard on the both side of the road & hills. This view of nature attracts O’Rear. He took off from his car & Shot some snaps.

O’Rear was not very hopeful about the pic. He defined it an ordinary one. But after a few days he was informed by his agency that Microsoft has chosen this pic as default desktop screen of their new Windows version XP. They want to buy its copyright. Though the amount of payment is still unknown but it is guessed thatBliss is the 2^nd highest paid photography of the world.

Recently, reached by phone, O'Rear tells Seattle Weekly that the payday sort of fell into his lap.Charles O'Rear."My photos are repped by Corbis, so when Microsoft was looking for photographs they went to Corbis," he says. "I got a call one day saying Corbis and Microsoft negotiated to use the photo."

O'Rear says he shot the photo in January of 2001, and that there were no enhancements made to the image at all--though he admits "Microsoft may have taken out a cloud or two."

He says that the intense emerald green of the grass is simply the results of a winter rain."People are always amazed that we can get that green of grass in January," he says. "But out here we definitely can."He also tells us that the hill is now a vineyard and is far less beautiful.In fact, here's a photo of it now. "It's not nearly as beautiful now," O'Rear says.