Airplanes From Above by Mike Kelley

This remarkable series of airplane photos by Mike Kelley is mesmerizing to us, mostly because the planes look almost toylike when seen from above, and in groups. Kelley had to get extensive clearance to fly a helicopter and take photos over LAX, the Southern California Logistics Airport, and Seattle’s Boeing Field/King County International Airport. His unique angle and great eye for composition lead to his series called Life Cycles, where he examines airplanes from their time in service to their retirement and decommissioning in “boneyards”.

The chaos and order of airports, as seen from above.

From Kelley, via My Modern Met:

“The sum of human knowledge, effort, and effort to get these birds built, flown, and retired is enormous,” Kelley tells My Modern Met via email. “While we are locked in a dingy terminal or griping about TSA lines, we’re surrounded by an incredible infrastructure that’s almost impossible to comprehend from ground level.”