A Boeing 727, 737 and MD-80 lay derelict. Scroll through to see more images from Troy Paiva's forthcoming book, "Boneyard: SoCal's Aircraft Graveyards at Night."
Troy Paiva
"Frog Eyes" (2016) by Troy Paiva —
Paiva's surreal, colorful photos were taken in a variety of locations in California's Mojave Desert, where retired planes languish.
Troy Paiva
"My Evil Twin" (2011) by Troy Paiva —
Paiva, the son of a flight engineer, grew up in an aviation-obsessed household. This image shows two damaged North American F-86 Sabre Jets.
Troy Paiva
"Sun South Air" (2018) by Troy Paiva —
An old movie prop plane lit up in shades of red and purple.
Troy Paiva
"The Pink Vestibule" (2009) by Troy Paiva —
Commercial aircraft pictured at an aviation warehouse deep in the Mojave Desert.
Troy Paiva
"Orbital Decay" (2018) by Troy Paiva —
Paiva, who often shoots at night to avoid desert heat and prying eyes, uses a variety of lighting devices to illuminate his subjects. Here, red, purple and green flashlights combine with the natural light of the moon.
Troy Paivas
"Snoopy's Fuzzy Nose" (2014) by Troy Paiva —
This decaying Convair B-58 Hustler in the Mojave is, according to Paiva, the only surviving plane of its kind not currently in a museum. The Hustler was the first bomber capable of supersonic flight, though it was retired in 1970 due to its poor safety record and high operating costs.
Troy Paiva
"Bombardier to Pilot" (2008) by Troy Paiva —
The exposed innards of a North American B-25 Mitchell.
Troy Paiva
"(Way Past Being an) Emergency Exit" (2012) by Troy Paiva —
The almost skeletal remains of a Boeing 747 pictured at an aviation warehouse where, between 2006 and 2018, Paiva spent 18 nights taking photographs.
Troy Paiva
"Marooned" (2016) by Troy Paiva —
Joshua trees peek out behind the rusted frame of a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. Like many of Paiva's photos, the image explores the interaction between nature and technology.
Troy Paiva
"Black Windows" (2014) by Troy Paiva —
Paiva's book explores how state-of-the art technology turns into ruins. In this image, the front section of a Boeing 737 lies decaying in the desert.
Troy Paiva
"Hot Enough to Melt Aluminum" (2015) by Troy Paiva —
While some of Paiva's images are instantly recognizable as planes, others use lighting and careful cropping to distort once-familiar aircraft.
Troy Paiva
"Merlin's Hat" (2014) by Troy Paiva —
Careful cropping and colorful lighting render the graveyards' retired planes as strange but mesmerizing works of art.
Troy Paiva
"Planet Claire" (2014) by Troy Paiva —
The remains of a B-52 Stratofortress, a regular part of the US Air Force since 1955. The plane also featured prominently in Stanley Kubrick's 1964 movie "Dr. Strangelove."
Troy Paiva
"Starslot" (2014) by Troy Paiva —
Paiva often crawls into -- and onto -- planes in order to capture his images, like this shot taken from within a Douglas DC-7.
Troy Paiva
"Shedding Her Tail" (2011) by Troy Paiva —
Age and inattention manifest in different ways on the decaying planes -- like the graffiti scribbled on this Lockheed Lodestar.
Troy Paiva
"Final Boarding" (2015) by Troy Paiva —
Stark red lighting and jagged metal give a sinister edge to some of Paiva's photos.
Troy Paiva
"Starship Troopers" (2014) by Troy Paiva —
The still-visible lettering on this B-52 Stratofortress reminds viewers that this decrepit wreckage was once a part of US military operations.
Troy Paiva
"Piasnakies" (2009) by Troy Paiva —
An abandoned Piasecki military helicopter from the 1950s.
Troy Paiva
"Canopy Number 12" (2011) by Troy Paiva —
An image from a spot in the Mojave Desert that Paiva dubs "The Secret Boneyard." He keeps the exact location a secret, at the request of the site's owner.