Photography hobbyist Hamad Darwish was commissioned by Microsoft to take desktop wallpaper photos for inclusion with Windows Vista. Here you can download a complete set including those that didn’t make it into the operating system. The “Aurora” image chosen as the default was created by Vista graphics designer Jenny Lam. Article here.

The Windows XP default wallpaper “Bliss” showing green hillside with blue sky and clouds was photographed by Charles O’Rear, contributor to National Geographic Magazine. The shot was taken at Napa Valley, California.

Photograph by Charles O’Rear