We recently connected with Tyler Leipprandt and have shared our conversation below.

Tyler, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

About 10 years ago, commercial drones began to come out and my older brother happened to get one. He began taking some pictures of our hometown that we grew up in and would post them to Facebook. It was just a hobby for him, but seeing these images brought so much emotion and excitement to me. As kids, we would ride our bikes all over town, and seeing drone photos from our stomping grounds was pretty incredible.

That excitement from my brothers photos had me trying to figure out how to get my own drone. The only problem was that my wife and I had a lot of student debt from getting college degrees and a Master’s degree in Educational Technology. Our budget was tight, and there was no room to purchase a $2,000 toy. But I just had to have one…..

Because commercial drones were new, there were very few people using them for real estate. After giving it some thought, real estate was going to be my angle to getting a drone. I told my wife my dreams and how I could make the money back from purchasing an expensive toy. She gave me her blessing to purchase one, and that is where the work started.

Before I ordered the drone, I wanted to get an idea of potential clients and real estate agents and if they would be interested in any of my future services. I began to set up meetings with nearby agents, and everyone was very excited. To give them examples of what my services could look like, I showed them my bother’s drone photos of our hometown. That sounds very silly, but again, drones were brand new and this service did not exist. After all of my “business” meetings, I had everyone excited and willing to work with me. Next thing you know, I purchased a $2,000 drone and had no clue what I was getting myself into.

As I mentioned before, I went to school for education, and at this point, had been working in education for 7 years. To pull this off, I had to work full time, raise my family, and jump into this new side hustle. I had no photography background or skills, so I began watching YouTube videos all night from other photographers. I learned about composition, camera equipment, drones, editing, shooting in manual mode, taking raw photos, etc. I also had to begin studying to obtain my Remote Pilots License. In order to make money using a drone, I had to be licensed, which also took a few weeks of my time to prep for.

Once the drone arrived, I had my FAA Remote Pilots License, clients that I could work with, and a small sense of photography. Within the next two months, I worked my butt off, and was able to pay the drone off plus make a few bucks. The more jobs I did, the more my clients would ask for more services, which is how I ended up getting into video and virtual tours.

It wasn’t until that winter when I really felt my calling and passion for photography. I was invited out to see Turnip Rock in Port Austin from a resident of the Point Aux Barques Community, and was able to take my drone. It was a combination of aerial photography, the winter elements, and amazing Michigan landscapes that really opened my eyes to my future with photography. After posting winter photos and videos of Turnip Rock, I began to get a lot of attention from that content. People had never seen close-up aerial footage of Turnip Rock, and if they hadn’t seen that, what else have they not seen from the air? Because of the realization that Michigan has so many beautiful landscapes, I began to focus more on landscape photography and travel all over the state.

My original idea of taking a few photos for real estate agents morphed into a full blown side-business that began taking up more and more of my time.

Tyler, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Growing up my whole life, I knew I wanted to be a teacher. I had many family members in education, and that is all I knew. I went to college, got my degree, and taught 5th grade for 5 years. It was a great experience, but I had a passion for technology and ended getting my masters degree in Instructional Technology. This allowed me to get a job at the Huron ISD in Bad Axe, Michigan as an Instructional Technology Consultant. I did that for 6 years and really loved what I did. I was content and thought I was going to do that for the rest of my life.

As mentioned earlier, I bought my first drone close to 10 years ago, and fell in love with capturing Michigan landscapes. This side hustle started to take up more of my time and my clients began asking for more. Can you do video? Can you do virtual tours? Can you create websites? My small business started to grow, and I absolutely loved where it was going.

In 2020, I quit my job in education, moved my family to Traverse City, and set on a mission to grow my business, Michigan Sky Media.

When I quit my job, it was definitely a leap of faith. I was nervous leaving a very comfortable job with a great salary, and moving to Traverse City where I only knew my brother and his family. My wife and friends were very supportive, and they gave me the confidence that I could actually pull this off.

From the beginning, I didn’t just want to be a photographer who took generic photos. I wanted to be someone who thought outside the box and was willing to create photographs that others have not even thought about. But the only way to do that was to actually get out in nature and practice, practice, practice. Over the last 10 years in photography, I have taken some really neat photos and have been in the right place at the right time. Some people may call that luck, but when you are always creating and looking for your next photograph, you are going to have plenty of opportunities.

If there was something I wanted my fans/followers to know, it is this. Anything is possible. I know that is a very generic tag line, but it is so true. When I began this journey, I never thought it would turn into a full-time gig for me. It has been a lot of work, but when you set your mind and work ethic to something, you can achieve anything. God has surely blessed me and my family and I am so thankful for the photography path I have been set on.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Over the years, I have had so many photo opportunities that resulted in the “Golden Rule”, which is, “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” I say that because over the last 10 years, there have been a lot of haters and people trying to come against photos and experiences I have had. Even in those tough moments when I felt like being a jerk back, I have kept my cool and treat them with kindness. I have so many stories and photos that have resulted in me treating others kindly.

Can you share one of your favorite marketing or sales stories?

In 2018, I took one of my best-selling photos called, “Don’t Look Down”. It is a top-down photo of the Mackinac Bridge at sunrise in March, when the ice is melting away. Once I took the photo, I instantly knew that I had to somehow frame it with the original 1957 Mackinac Bridge grating. Over the next year, I looked high and low, and finally got my hands on 40 feet of the original grating. Not only is this a piece of art, but it is also apart of Michigan history.

Contact Info:

• Website: michiganskymedia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michiganskymedia/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michiganskymedia

Image Credits
Tyler Leipprandt of Michigan Sky Media