How did the world's most famous photograph appear and how much did it cost?

It can be said without exaggeration that the photograph “Serenity” (Bliss) is the most famous photograph today. It was first seen on the desktop of the Windows XP operating system as the default wallpaper. However, a photograph of a hill covered with green grass is not considered a masterpiece of photography. You won't see it at exhibitions or in textbooks on the art of photography.

Landscape photography "Serenity" is a symbol of the computer era. And like every symbol, it has a story. The author of the photo is American photographer Charles O'Rear, who worked for National Geographic. On January 12, 1996, he was driving in San Francisco. Driving through Sonoma County, the man saw a hill that stood out in contrast against the blue sky.

O'Rear had been to this place more than once and had never paid attention to the landscape. But now the hill covered with grass looked somehow special. There had been a recent rainstorm, and the vegetation seemed particularly vibrant. The photographer could not resist and got out of the car to take a series of photographs. He photographed the hill and field four times, with different settings.

Charles O'Rear's film camera contained two horizontal and two vertical frames. These were unremarkable photographs that had no artistic value. We can say that the author made them in a momentary impulse, impressed by the combination of bright greenery and blue sky.

Returning home, Charles digitized the photos and uploaded them to the stock site he owned with his friend. By that time, the repository already contained more than 3 million images. We might never have known about the photo if it weren’t for the employees of the Corbis stock, owned by Microsoft owner Bill Gates. They bought the photographs of the hill from the author.

Unfortunately, we don't know why Gates and his team liked Serenity so much. But in 2001, at the presentation of Windows XP, the photo was featured on the screensaver. You can call this case historical, because before this, full-color photographs had never been used as default photo wallpaper. Users were accustomed to the dull monochromatic screen fill and received the innovation with delight.

Charles O'Rear's photograph became a central component of the new operating system's branding. Therefore, care had to be taken to ensure that no one else used it. The photo was removed from stock and the copyright to it was purchased from the author. Microsoft paid for the photographer to fly to Seattle so he could personally deliver the negatives to the office.

At first they planned to organize the sending of photographic materials by mail, but none of the companies took on this work. The estimated value of the negatives was too high. Therefore, the author had to fly to Seattle. It is not known exactly how much Charles O'Rear received from Microsoft. But everyone is inclined to believe that the amount was not less than 100 thousand dollars.

By the way, the hill did not always look the same as in the photo. Until the 90s, there were vineyards on it. They had to be cut down due to pest infestation. In 1996, at the time the image was taken, no traces of human activity were visible. Now grapes are growing on the hill again and you will hardly recognize this iconic place.

No less interesting is the history of another photograph that became famous among fans of tennis and piquant subjects.