Year In Review | Best of 2022 | Nebraska Senior + Family Photographer

I just wanted to write up a quick blog post to say thank you for an awesome year. It’s been a pleasure interacting with your families. I appreciate you doing business with Dirt Road Photography in 2022. This is my favorite post to make each year, sharing what we’ve been up to and all the exciting things we’ve created. Let’s take a trip down memory lane.

A Quick Recap of 2022 | Top Favorite Memories

This past year felt incredibly quick! One minute I was prepping in the spring and the next I was quickly trying to wrap up holiday ordering season. This year we set a record number of senior sessions as well as hosting some fun holiday themed minis.

75+ sessions! I’m always humbled when I total up things at the end of the year. I’ve kept up with last years pace and added ample more sessions this year. I actually hosted over six fall and holiday mini’s this year. That’s a huge jump from my typical one or two days of mini’s from in the past.

This year for senior sessions we went on some pretty fun adventures. From getting stuck in mud to being soaked in sweat we did some pretty awesome things this past year. I was invited to high school tracks, some seniors brought their classic cars and a few even brought their pets to hang out! I love that a few times we even go to jump in the water to cool off, something about a lake/pond/river at sunset here in Nebraska for senior pictures always brings me so much joy!

I love going through each and every folder to find and highlight my sessions at the end of the year. It always inspires me that my clients open their arms and invite me into getting to know their families. I love stepping back and seeing just how many people I get to meet and capture their pictures in different milestones of their lives!

Best Nine From Instagram

This is so cute and it’s always fun to create. Instagram pulls your best nine posts of the year. I’m trying to go outside my bubble and work more with video content on social media. I know a lot of people are curious what goes on behind the scenes, so I’m forcing myself outside my bubble to share more with you guys. Thanks for hanging out and getting social on Instagram with me!

Top Viewed Blog Posts

Something I’ve really wanted to drive home this year was to focus on senior and family outfit guides. I’m also loving getting to share about unique sessions we’ve help. My goal is to start incorporating even more tips and tricks to make your sessions flow seamlessly into the new year. As we continue to work on balancing and creating content in 22, we can’t help but brag about how much fun it is to create a blog for you! Here are the top viewed posts of 2022.

fall outfit ideas from amazon for senior and family pictures. top womens amazon outfits for autumn of 2022. what to wear for fall family pictures and mini sessions for mom, dad, boy and girl. nebraska senior photographer.
Top gifts for friends and family from Amazon for the 2022 Christmas holiday season.

Nebraska High School Senior Portraits

Just when I thought we were shooting record numbers in 2021, we were surprised and shot even more in 2022! Last year we shot almost 22 seniors, this year we’ve shot over 30! It’s so exciting watching those numbers grow. Seniors have my heart, and getting to serve them makes me sing with happiness. Our youth are awesome, and the world still has some pretty amazing leaders coming up! We’ll have another wrap up post coming soon with our Best of Seniors 2022.

Best Selling Products of 2022

This comes as no surprise, but our top products were frames, proof prints and photo albums.

Our frames always sell and we love being an exclusive vendor for Farmhouse Frames. We’re one of THREE photographers in Nebraska who has access to this family owned business and so proud to be sharing their work with our clients.

The second best seller is our proof prints. They include a custom cover box to store them in and the prints and perfect to frame and swap out what you’re displaying! We love these to share with family and also display at graduation parties.

Our third and final favorite is our photo books and albums. These are a great way to get all of the images from your session without investing in all of the digitals. Highly recommend for those wanting long term keepsakes of their families to pass down for generations!

What’s New for 2023?

Moving into the new year, I‘m excited to officially be in business for 10 years in 2023. What does that mean? Celebrations all year long! We’re celebrating the big milestone by doing giveaways. You’ll want to make sure you’re up to date and on all our email or mailing lists. We promise you we’ve got some huge ideas and cannot wait to start sharing them on social media after the new year bustle has slowed down.

We’re keeping our pricing structures the same. To be completely transparent, I’m keeping 95% of products pricing the same. A few increases due to shipping and inflation costs of supplies have caused those issues but we always strive to give you unique, one of a kind products that you can’t find elsewhere. And in that line of business from the vendors I work with, I can expect some prices to fluctuate. I’m always working on adding more exclusive products as well as new services to the business lineup.

More family mini options! We found our sweet spot of families enjoying mini’s so we’re going to start offering more each quarter. We know there’s a need for a regular family session, and there’s a time and place for them. But we also know if you’re updating family portraits annually you’re investment might be a smaller budget. So we’re creating the best of both worlds and offering a few more options in 2023!

Senior pricing structure will remain the same but we’re also adding something new to our full menu of options! We’re offering senior mini’s as an add-on once you’ve booked your regular senior sesh. For those who need their regular session but an additional mini sesh for something like just sports pictures at the football field or maybe just some fun ones with your bestie or pets that don’t travel well. There are endless options for this new package add-on!

Take a peek back throughout the past eight years since we started sending out our annual thank you cards. It’s so inspiring and I love displaying them in my office so I can quickly peek back at how many people I’ve gotten to know throughout the years.

Psst! If you see your face/family in these photos below make sure you’re on our mailing list! Drop us an email with your info to ensure you’re getting some of our epic mailers that are coming out about our big tenth year celebration 😉 kelseyhomolka@gmail.com

As I wrap up our year of 2022, I am so excited about next year. I can only hope to see many familiar faces in 2023 as well as a lot of new faces. As a small business owner, I’d love if you’d refer your friends so I can continue to grow and thrive throughout this next year! Referrals truly make a huge impact in my business.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for inviting me into your family’s lives. You’re all such a blessing and I love knowing each and every one of you. I truly do value each friendship I’ve made! I wish you a great new year and cannot wait to see what successful things you accomplish in 2023! 

If you’d like to get to know more about me, make sure you check out the Meet Kelsey page on our site!

– Kelsey Homolka with Dirt Road Photography

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *