What is the most viewed image ever created? well, arguably – the Windows XP is desktop image called ‘Bliss’ installed on hundreds of millions of computers (even today). But how this image was created? is the green grass a Photoshop manipulation or is it a real image taken in a real location – and if so where?
The answers to all these questions are found in this (we got to say) heartwarming video by Microsoft which is an interview with photographer Charles O’Rear – the man who in January 1996 shot Bliss. As you can hear from O’Rear himself in the video, the image was taken using a Mamiya RZ67 on film with no Photoshop manipulation whatsoever by the Photographer (it was suggested that Microsoft did cut a bit of the left side of the original image and enhance the color of the grass after acquiring it).
BLISS by Charles O’Rear (the XP version)
As for the location where the image was shot – it was a lush hillside on the side of the highway 12/121 in California and in the video you can see an attempt to recreate it (we still favor the original one – apparently its very hard to recreate a timeless masterpiece – you can see another image of the place from 2006 – here).
You can find many more amazing photography on LensVid’s photographers channel.
Iddo Genuth 
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