The Spiral Effect (Raghuvamsh Chavali)

I photographed this from the bottom of the steps of Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden, looking up as the birds curved above the temple. For a moment, the whole scene felt like it was being pulled upward the stairs, the roofline, the clouds, and the flock all moving toward the same point. What I love about this image is that it does not feel like the birds are just passing by. It feels like they are completing the architecture, adding a movement that the stone could never hold on its own.