Man who took 'most viewed photo of all time' regrets price he sold it for
Although you might presume the man who snapped the most viewed photo of all time would be set for life after selling the image, he reckons he was somewhat shortchanged.
Chuck O'Rear, from Missouri, is the bloke behind the iconic picture titled 'Bliss' - and he previously revealed he actually took it on a whim when he pulled over as he drove through California.
He explained he always kept his camera close, as any good photographer would, 'because you just never know' when a picture perfect moment might pop up.
However, he considered it to be 'just another picture' at the time, completely unaware that pretty much every person on the planet would lay eyes on it in the future.
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Still, a seasoned professional like Chuck had an eye for the perfect shot - and when he spotted the picturesque rolling hills during his drive, he couldn't resist making a brief pit stop.
"[I thought] my God, the grass is perfect, it’s green, the sun is out, there’s some clouds," he said previously, while explaining the process of taking the legendary picture.
"It could have been no clouds and by the time I parked, by the time I set my camera up, the clouds might have come in because everything changed so quickly at that point.
"So now I get the camera ready and here come the clouds and I make a frame, and I crank to the next one - which we don’t do digitally anymore - and it takes care of everything."
Armed with his Mamiya RZ67 camera, a tripod and colour Fuji Film, the 83-year-old managed to capture an extraordinary image, which ended up becoming synonymous with Microsoft.
A lot of people have long suspected that that the snap was digitally manipulated, as it's just so stunning - but you've actually got Chuck to thank for the beautiful image, which greeted us all when we fired up our computers.
He reckons that as he used 'a film that had more brilliant colours' and relied on his 'remarkable' single-lens reflex camera, it created a recipe for success.
"The size of the camera and film together made the difference and I think helped the Bliss photograph stand out even more," the snapper said. "I think if I had shot it with 35 millimetre, it would not have nearly the same effect."
Bliss became available as a stock photo in 1998 with an agency called Westlight - and Bill Gates' company, Corbis, ended up acquiring the firm the same year.
In 2000, Microsoft decided to snap up the rights to 'Bliss' so that it could be a permanent background for Windows XP - but Chuck has been kicking himself ever since he agreed to the deal.
He confessed that he feels he didn't get his moneys worth, even though the tech giant stumped up a substantial sum for it.
The exact amount which Chuck received remains a mystery, as he signed a confidentiality agreement...however, it is said to have been 'in the low six figures.'
The photographer explained that in hindsight, he should have considered how big Bliss might become.
"If I had known how popular it would become and how many computers it would’ve been on, I should’ve negotiated a better deal," Chuck confessed.
"I should have said, ‘Just give me a fraction of a cent for every time it’s seen’ - that would’ve been a nice arrangement."
And given that it's the most viewed image of all time, it's safe to say Chuck would be rolling in it by now.
Discussing the deal he made with Microsoft further, he added: "It was not a royalty situation.
"It was a flat - ‘Here’s what we’re paying you, thank you very much and let’s get it on the computer screen and get moving.'"
Topics: Bill Gates, Technology, Art, Money, Microsoft
Olivia Burke