A dusty corner of the Southern California high desert north of the San Gabriel mountains is home to the flying machines of yesteryear.

Aviation Warehouse is a deserted boneyard of decaying fuselages on the outskirts of an airfield near El Mirage, Calif. For Troy Paiva, a veteran junkyard photographer, this is a playground.

“It’s surreal, and it’s dramatic, and it’s fun,” Paiva said. “It’s like going to Disneyland for me. It’s a wonderland of debris.”

The airfield is a stockpile of information and a backdrop for scenes in Hollywood films. Its rusting fighter jets, helicopters and jumbo jets are featured in many films, including "Speed" and "Con Air."

Since 2006, Paiva has made the trek to the desert half a dozen times for multiple nights each visit.

“It’s different every time you go,” Paiva said. “It’s one of the fun things about it, being able to revisit it. There’s always stuff coming and going.”

Paiva is something of a minimalist. He doesn't use light stands, softboxes or power supplies. He “paints” light onto his subjects during two- to eight-minute exposures with some pretty low-tech gear.

“It’s basically me and a couple of flashlights,” Paiva said. He has been using this technique since the late '80s.

He accomplishes some startling effects with his modest equipment, creating images that are haunting as well as dynamic.

“It’s about putting light in the right place to make the subject sing,” Paiva said.

To see some unreleased images from Paiva's Aviation Warehouse collection, check out his e-book, Boneyard.