The photo book “MIconic” shows the beauty of the Great Lakes State

(WPBN/WGTU) — There are many beautiful places in Northern Michigan, and if you’ve lived here for a while, you’ve probably seen many of them.

But maybe not quite in the same way as Tyler Leipprandt.

But soon this will be possible without you having to leave your home.

Most new illustrated book releases are not announced from the tail of a military aircraft.

But most photographers are not quite like Tyler Leipprandt.

“From the beginning, it was as if I wanted to take photos that people hadn’t even thought of before,” said Leipprandt.

He has an eye for beauty, the ability to capture it, and the creative drive to do so in a way no one else does.

“You know, just be very creative, think outside the box and just present something that you haven’t seen from that perspective before,” said Leipprandt.

And for Tyler, a former teacher turned photographer, that perspective often means dangling from airplanes to capture historic moments and famous places here in Michigan.

“I was invited to go to the top of the Mackinac Bridge. I got to dangle my feet. And after I did that, I called my wife and said, ‘You know, I just dangled from the Mackinac Bridge, the iconic site of Michigan. What if I dangled over other iconic sites and did a series called ‘Where Would You Dangle?'” Leipprandt said.

“She thought I was crazy,” Leipprandt said.

Maybe she’s right, but Tyler’s most famous trick is probably the perfectly timed photo of the flyover of the Rose Bowl.

“I’m hanging out of the helicopter and at some point I just press the shutter button. I just hold it down, as if to say, ‘I don’t know where it is, I don’t want to miss it, so I’ll just take a few pictures of the field.’ And finally, at the last second, we saw it,” Leipprandt said.

And based on web traffic and usage, he estimates that about 50 million people have seen it thanks to his months of planning, approvals and passion.

“It’s a huge relief. You know, the pressure that comes with it is just unbelievable for me,” said Leipprandt.

He is the master of capturing the pre-game flyover.

“Last year the Baltimore Ravens called me up for the AFC Championship game,” Leipprandt said.

But Tyler doesn’t limit himself to stadiums and crowds; he captures perspectives pretty well here too.

“I guess it’s just a creative process. Just every step from thinking and visualizing what I can shoot next? To actually doing it?” said Leipprandt.

Photos so good they turn believers into doubters.

“If they think it’s Photoshop, I would probably take that as a compliment. Because they’ve never seen anything like it,” said Leipprandt.

Tyler has the proof in his pictures and the stories of the great lengths and heights he goes to in order to get them.

He is putting the finishing touches to his first proper illustrated book, a collection of some of his best work.

While he realizes that we have all seen the beauty around us, he also knows that few of us have seen it the way he has.

“I got a camera in my hands and just fell in love with creating,” said Leipprandt.

Leipprandt’s book MIconic is available for pre-order now and is scheduled to be released in August or September.