Guy Behind Famous Windows XP Wallpaper Photo Wishes He'd Asked For More $

Guy Behind Famous Windows XP Wallpaper Photo Wishes He’d Asked For More $

I’m an Apple (iMac, MacBook Pro) aficionado‎ – I’ve seen and occasionally used Windows XP (it was painful) and know of that XP wallpaper screen photo. Everyone does, right?

Did you know that that Windows XP photograph was sometimes called Bliss?

The experience could have been more blissful had the photographer (Charles O’Rear), at the time, negotiated or asked for, a tiny percentage royalty for each photo sold. (With like millions of these XP wallpaper photos on PCs around the world, he would have done alright, I guess).

Charles said that he “had no idea that it was going to become the most seen photograph or recognisable photograph in the world.”

But that’s life.

Watch the video as it’s an interesting story of how Charles always had a camera with him, and knew that the rolling hills near where he lived (San Francisco) were at their most vivid green in January. Cool stuff.

This is the beauty of shooting stock photos.

You need to be in tune with your environment, and always carry your “work tools.”

Never underestimate the photo opportunities that lies in the sweeping hills of your local area or backyard.

Even though Charles wished he’d negotiated better deal, I’m guessing the whole experience with Microsoft and Corbis was a huge learning curve, with them flying him in holding tight to the original, and Microsoft adamant that that particular shot was the one.

Amazing really.

Technology commentators recently estimated that O’Rear’s photograph, which Microsoft chose in 2001 as the default wallpaper for its XP operating system, had been viewed by no less than 1 billion people. If all 1 billion purchased a copy of XP (they didn’t) — and Microsoft paid O’Rear 1 cent per copy sold — he would’ve made $10 million. — read more from The Age here

Stock photography is still a great business model. (And will be for years to come).

Especially when you have a polariser filter and the clouds are just right…

The above image is one of the famous Windows XP wallpaper photo series – correct me if I’m wrong, I’m a Mac user.

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