Where Peonies Meet the Galaxy: Tea Chen Finds Wonder in the Natural World
At the World Grand Prix Photography Awards 2026 Autumn Season, Tea Chen received the Platinum Award & Photo of the Season in Nature & Experimental Photography for Where Peonies Meet the Galaxy. The winning work offers a distinct perspective on its subject, bringing the photographer’s individual approach to the foreground.
Every year, from late June through July, the peony fields at Heatherdale are opened to island residents and visitors during the flowering season.
We grow these peonies using natural farming methods. We do not spray pesticides or apply chemical fertilizers. Instead, we place cardboard over the soil to suppress weeds naturally and reduce our impact on the land and the surrounding ecosystem.
I captured this photograph at night, when the peonies were blooming beneath the Milky Way. In the foreground are flowers nurtured by the earth, while far above them stretches the light of a galaxy across an immense universe.
Interview
What is the narrative or story behind this award-winning piece, and what inspired you to capture this particular moment?
This peony garden in Montague, Prince Edward Island, Canada, was lovingly cultivated by the monks of GEBIS using earth-friendly methods, including recycled cardboard to protect and enrich the soil. In 2026, their efforts were honoured with Second Prize in the “Recently Established Flower Garden, Kings County” category presented by the PEI Rural Beautification Society.
Under the deep darkness of the Prince Edward Island countryside, the flowers and the Milky Way could meet within a single frame. I wanted to capture more than a beautiful night scene. I wanted to preserve the quiet connection between the monks’ devotion, the land they nurture, and the vast universe above, holding on to a moment that might otherwise pass unnoticed.
Were there any unexpected creative or technical hurdles during the making of this work, and how did you overcome them?
The greatest challenge was timing. Peony season is short, and a clear night without clouds, moonlight, or rain is also difficult to find. I had planned this photograph last year but could not make it happen. This year (2026), I studied the weather every day and finally found the right night. There were also many mosquitoes around the field in PEI, so patience and preparation became an important part of the process.
How do you approach the balance between technical skill and emotional/artistic expression in your photography?
In fact, I do not see technical skill and artistic expression as opposites. A photograph still needs to be carefully designed, and technique helps me translate an idea or feeling into a clear visual language. Composition, exposure, focus, and post-processing are not the purpose themselves; they support what I want to express. For me, a strong photograph needs both an honest vision and the technical ability to carry that vision faithfully.
What key emotion or thematic message do you hope viewers walk away with when experiencing this piece?
I hope viewers can pause and quietly experience the beauty of nature. Much of that beauty is always present, yet remains invisible until we truly choose to look. Through the flowers and the night sky, I hope people can sense the vastness of nature and the universe, while also recognising that our lives are not separate from them. We exist within the same interconnected world, and each part depends upon the others.
In your view, what role does photography play in today’s world?
Today, almost everyone carries a camera (mostly on a cellphone), but photography is more than the ability to take pictures. It is a practice of learning how to see. By photographing the people, places, and moments around us, we train ourselves to recognise beauty that might otherwise be overlooked. As AI-generated imagery becomes common, photography gains a different value: it preserves a real encounter shaped by the photographer’s presence, experience, and personal way of seeing.
Editor’s Note
Where Peonies Meet the Galaxy brings an expansive sense of wonder to a subject rooted in a particular place and season. Its title encourages a reading that moves between the intimacy of flowers and the scale of the cosmos.
The image invites attention to how nature photography can become imaginative without losing the specificity of the landscape and its seasonal encounter.
Follow the Photographer
People can search for GEBIS or About Monks on Facebook to follow some of my recent work and activities. More of my photography, award-winning projects, and interviews can be found through the following profiles and features:
About the World Grand Prix Photography Awards
The World Grand Prix Photography Awards (WGPPA) is an international photography competition recognising creative achievement across photographic disciplines. Its winning works and selected editorial interviews, published through WODACC, offer photographers opportunities to present both their images and the ideas behind them to a wider audience. For emerging and established photographers considering international awards, these published winner stories provide concrete examples of how creative work can be showcased beyond the award announcement.
Explore the World Grand Prix Photography Awards: https://www.wgppa.com/
