The photo often referred to as the “world’s most viewed” might not be on the forefront of everyone’s mind, but it carries a poignant story.
In today’s digital age, where we are constantly engaged with our devices, one would assume we all know which image holds the title of ‘most viewed.’
Yet, there’s a chance you’ve become so accustomed to it as a background that its significance and beauty might not register anymore.
The story behind this image is quite fascinating.
Many might think this famous photograph required a costly camera, a carefully selected location, perfect lighting, and a meticulously chosen angle. However, the photographer, Charles [Chuck] O’Rear, emphasizes that it was merely a stroke of luck and timing.
In a 2021 interview with PEOPLE, O’Rear, then 81, explained his habit of always carrying a camera because “you just never know” when an opportunity might arise.
Keep this intriguing piece of trivia handy for a conversation starter at your next gathering… Here’s a clue: it relates to technology.
O’Rear captured the iconic image in January 1996 while on a trip to visit Daphne Larkin, his partner of over two decades, in Marin County, California.
Driving from his home in St Helena, California, he often stopped to photograph the stunning scenery during his journey.
The photo that achieved fame is titled ‘Bliss.’
Does the name ring a bell?
For those who didn’t grow up exclusively using MacBooks, you might recognize it as the default wallpaper for Microsoft computers.
The serene landscape of rolling green hills under a blue sky interspersed with white clouds made the task of booting up a computer a bit more pleasant.
Many have speculated whether this idyllic scene was digitally altered, questioning if such a perfect place could exist.
The answer is no, it wasn’t photoshopped.
“When it’s on film, what you see is what you get,” O’Rear states, explaining that he used a Mamiya RZ67 camera with Fuji Film and a tripod for the shot.
“There was nothing unusual. I used a film that had more brilliant colours, the Fuji Film at that time, and the lenses of the RZ67 were just remarkable.
“The size of the camera and film together made the difference and I think helped the Bliss photograph stand out even more.
“I think if I had shot it with 35 millimetre, it would not have nearly the same effect,” O’Rear says in a video for Microsoft, shot by cameraman Bar Leferink and directed by Marcel Buunk under the company Shoot the Rabbit.
The image eventually reached Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates when the Corbis group, a Gates-founded company, acquired the Westlight stock photo agency in 1998. Westlight was the agency where O’Rear initially submitted ‘Bliss.’
Microsoft purchased ‘Bliss’ for a “low six-figure” sum that exceeded $100,000, though the exact amount remains undisclosed. It then became the familiar Windows XP desktop background that many have admired and dreamed of visiting.
The acquisition wasn’t straightforward, however.
The image’s value was so high that Fed Ex wouldn’t handle it due to the insurance costs involved.
As a result, O’Rear personally flew to Microsoft’s Seattle office to deliver the original, as reported by the St Helena Star. The effort was worthwhile for the six-figure payment and complimentary flight.
While ‘Bliss’ was merely another photograph for O’Rear, it became his most recognized work.
“Twenty-five years at Geographic and nobody ever gives a damn about that,” his wife, Larkin, humorously notes.
O’Rear states that he frequently receives emails related to the ‘Bliss’ photograph.
“When I die, although I won’t be buried, Daphne has said, on your tombstone, we’re not going to say National Geographic, we’re going to say ‘Photographer of Bliss’.”
‘Bliss’ has continuously followed the photographer, becoming a constant in his life no matter where his travels take him.
“The image is everywhere, as we all know. […] The picture, no matter where we’ve been in the world – India, Thailand, Greece – that picture is always there, either on some old computer in an upscale hotel that hasn’t been updated in 30 years in the lobby the people are checking you in on, or, we saw that picture in billboards, airplanes, at airports,” O’Rear reflects.
“We were walking through the Chicago airport years ago and there it was.”
He concludes, “I have a theory that anybody from age 15 onward will remember this photograph for their lifetime.
“So now I’m in secondary school, I’m 15 years old, I was on my computer in school and I go onto college and I go on into the work world and now I’m 50 years old, 70 years old and I see that image somewhere.
“I won’t remember where I saw it, but I will remember it.”