Curvy Tea by Greg Goodman
Captured at the BOH Tea Plantation in Tana Rata, this image highlights the serene intersection of nature and human industry. The photographer was drawn to the rhythmic, undulating rows of tea bushes that stretch toward the horizon, punctuated by the narrow dirt paths carved for transport. By utilizing a wide-angle perspective, the composition emphasizes the vastness of the landscape while maintaining an intimate focus on the textures of the plantation. The result is an award-worthy study of tranquility, showcasing how human activity can harmoniously weave through a lush, natural environment to create a striking, patterned vista.
Orhan Aksel
Orhan Aksel was born in 1961. He is an Industrial and Systems engineer, graduated from University of Florida in ’86. Since then he is the founder and owner of a high-tech company in Istanbul. He has been a passionate amateur photographer since he was 12, who grew up in darkrooms. Recently he decided to step up his photography, hoping that one day he can earn money through this hobby and to donate for the education of the needy children of the world. It is still a hobby to him, but just became a philanthropic one. Eventually he wants to shift his carrier more to this direction. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="145"] Orhan Aksel[/caption] Camera Gear: Nikon D700 Lenses: Vivtar Series I 70-210mm manual lens Current Location: Istanbul, Turkey Flickr: http://www.flickr.co
Resonance Score Breakdown
Transparency Note: The resonance score (13.3/20) is calculated based on social engagement metrics collected before the award announcement.
Expert Photography Reviews · 6
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Read the reflection →The Rhythm of the Earth
The earth has a way of folding itself into sleep, tucking its edges into soft, green pleats that ripple toward the horizon.
Read the reflection →Reviews & Comments
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The tea rows ripple like a dark, frozen tide, yet I’m troubled by the light. It’s too eager, too revealing. Goodman’s wide lens flattens the hills into a decorative pattern, stripping away the mystery of the soil. Where are the deep, suffocating pockets of black that define the earth’s true weight? I’ve walked these plantations; they shouldn’t feel this clean. It’s a beautiful surface, sure, but it’s a photograph that’s afraid of its own silence.
The tea bushes ripple like a green sea, caught in that soft, diffused light where the sky loses its edge. Greg waited for the mist to settle, didn’t he? I can feel the damp air on my skin just looking at those curved rows. It’s a quiet, rhythmic prayer of agriculture. I’ve stood in such places, breathless, waiting for the land to exhale. It’s not just a plantation; it’s a deep, emerald silence.
The 15mm focal length forces a violent convergence of the tea rows. It’s a rigid geometry that anchors the frame. The undulating lines create a necessary tension, pulling the eye toward the horizon’s fulcrum. While the landscape threatens to dissolve into soft sentiment, the sharp, rhythmic repetition of the bushes maintains order. It’s a disciplined architecture. I’ve rarely seen such aggressive symmetry hold its own against the vastness of the Malaysian highlands. It works.
Of the thousands of landscape submissions I’ve reviewed, most rely on sunset colors to do the heavy lifting. Goodman avoids that trap. The 15mm focal length here doesn’t just capture the BOH plantation; it forces the viewer into the rhythm of those tea rows. It’s the way the dirt paths cut through the green that makes me want to walk into the frame. Thirty years from now, this quiet, structured order will still feel perfectly composed.
The BOH plantation is a labyrinth that usually swallows the amateur whole. Goodman’s managed to find a rhythm in those tea rows that suggests he didn’t just stumble upon the view after a quick bus ride. I’ve spent enough mornings in damp highlands to know the mist doesn’t lift for everyone. It’s a clean, disciplined frame. I find myself wishing I’d been the one standing there when the light finally decided to behave.
The verdant, undulating rows of the BOH plantation possess a rhythmic, almost Morandi-esque restraint, where the deep, mossy greens bleed into the pale, dusty ochre of the paths with such quietude that it’s impossible not to feel a sudden, sharp ache for that humid Malaysian air. One finds the palette isn’t merely descriptive; it’s a living, breathing dialogue between the chlorophyll-heavy shadows and the sun-bleached earth, creating a harmony that’s profoundly, achingly still.
Thanks so much for featuring my photograph as your Photo of the Day.
To read the full story of my backpacking adventure through Tana Rata and the Cameron Highlands, please visit my blog.