: The image has appeared in everything from news segments in the White House to government videos in Russia.
: As support for Windows XP ended in 2014, the image remained a symbol of early 2000s computing, sparking numerous "recreation" projects by artists and photographers. The History of Windows XP - Lobsters 1920x1200 The History Behind Microsoft XP's “Bl...
: Microsoft engineers selected the image to be the default wallpaper for Windows XP (codenamed "Whistler"). : The image has appeared in everything from
: The hill, located in the Los Carneros American Viticultural Area, was temporarily covered in grass because the grapevines had been removed following a phylloxera infestation . Today, the site is once again a working vineyard and looks significantly different. Selection by Microsoft : The hill, located in the Los Carneros
The photograph was captured in by former National Geographic photographer Charles O'Rear . While driving through Sonoma County, California, to visit his girlfriend, O'Rear pulled over along Highway 12/121 to photograph a lush, rolling green hill under a brilliant blue sky.
: Despite popular belief, the image was completely unedited . The vibrant colors were the result of a specific type of Fuji film and the timing—winter rains had turned the hills emerald green, and a brief break in a storm provided the crisp white clouds.