August 30, 2011 at 00:37Have you ever thought about the origin of standard Windows XP wallpapers?
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One of the most famous wallpapers, of course, is the standard Windows XP image, which captures a blissfully relaxing view of green hills and is bluer than the blue sky. This wallpaper - probably one of the most viewed images of all time - is aptly named “Serenity”. Search Google for images with the word “serenity,” and the first result is a Windows wallpaper.
But for Dutch Windows users, the image is called “Ireland,” which mistakenly led many to believe that it was there that the photograph was taken.
Have you ever stopped to wonder where and by whom this photo was taken? In fact, the image is so clear that you might have thought it was generally fake.
The man behind the camera was the American photographer Charles O'Rier. Do not let his name make you think that the photograph was taken after all in Ireland. Serenity, as it turned out, is in California. In Sonoma County, to be precise.
The photo was taken in 1996 - years before the release of Windows XP and before this area was transformed into a vineyard. A photograph taken 10 years later from the same point from which “Serenity” was captured shows a disappointingly dreary look:
Since then, the image can be found in the most unexpected places. O'Rier himself saw the image in the window of a Thai village restaurant and against the backdrop of a television interview with the Venezuelan president.
How much did O'Rier get for being considered one of the most famous photographs of all time? The non-disclosure agreement does not allow him to reveal real numbers, but according to the Napa Valley Register , O'Rier said the amount was “exceptional” and second only to the photographer, who captured then-President Bill Clinton in an embrace with Monica Lewinsky.
The most surprising fact is that, according to O'Rier, made by a medium format camera, this image was not digitally processed.
In any case, today's reality is very far from the idyllic image abandoned in Windows Vista.
Jan Willem van Wessel found the exact coordinates of the location, and thanks to Google Street View, you can see the panorama of this area and see exactly what it now looks like:
Beyond the point O'Rair stood, you can see more vineyards:
And on the left and right sides are nothing but endless highways:
If you want to see for yourself, just go to Google Maps and enter the coordinates 38.248966, -122.410269.
But for Dutch Windows users, the image is called “Ireland,” which mistakenly led many to believe that it was there that the photograph was taken.
Have you ever stopped to wonder where and by whom this photo was taken? In fact, the image is so clear that you might have thought it was generally fake.
The man behind the camera was the American photographer Charles O'Rier. Do not let his name make you think that the photograph was taken after all in Ireland. Serenity, as it turned out, is in California. In Sonoma County, to be precise.
The photo was taken in 1996 - years before the release of Windows XP and before this area was transformed into a vineyard. A photograph taken 10 years later from the same point from which “Serenity” was captured shows a disappointingly dreary look:
Since then, the image can be found in the most unexpected places. O'Rier himself saw the image in the window of a Thai village restaurant and against the backdrop of a television interview with the Venezuelan president.
How much did O'Rier get for being considered one of the most famous photographs of all time? The non-disclosure agreement does not allow him to reveal real numbers, but according to the Napa Valley Register , O'Rier said the amount was “exceptional” and second only to the photographer, who captured then-President Bill Clinton in an embrace with Monica Lewinsky.
The most surprising fact is that, according to O'Rier, made by a medium format camera, this image was not digitally processed.
In any case, today's reality is very far from the idyllic image abandoned in Windows Vista.
Jan Willem van Wessel found the exact coordinates of the location, and thanks to Google Street View, you can see the panorama of this area and see exactly what it now looks like:
Beyond the point O'Rair stood, you can see more vineyards:
And on the left and right sides are nothing but endless highways:
If you want to see for yourself, just go to Google Maps and enter the coordinates 38.248966, -122.410269.
