Not only do you get a 90 minute mentor session with me either at WPPI, in San Diego, over the phone or video chat but….

Also included with my auction:

Copy of my Aperture Training DVD Either a GO|BEE Hip Clutch or Card Holster depending on if the package is purchased by a male or female photographer.

Grow as a photographer while saving lives!

I’m participating in the 2010 ThirstRelief Mentor Auction. Our mission is to save lives by tapping into the incredible talent and generosity of the photo industry.

Did you know that every 15 seconds someone dies of a waterborne illness? That’s 5760 people every day! You can help. Bid on a mentoring session with your favorite photographer!

100% of the proceeds directly benefit Thirst Relief. Add to that the incredible wisdom and talent that is being shared in the one-on-one mentor sessions and you have better and more successful photographers! It’s truly a win win for everyone involved!

About me and my mentor auction

I guess the first thing to know about me is that I really hate writing about me. It’s just not a subject I’m terribly interested in. That said, I know it’s important for you to have some sense of who I am, so here goes. I have always loved photography but never dreamed I could be one until I met Monique Feil. She saw my passion for images and while carrying her bags at a wedding, she handed me a profession camera, showed me the basics of using it, and I was hooked. I fell in love with the idea of capturing people in their special moments and really never looked back. I put out my shingle as Sara France Photography in 2002 and I spend most of my time shooting, here in beautiful and sunny San Diego, but also frequently across the country or around the world. In fact, I travel so frequently that my friend Becker coined the phrase “Where in the world is France,” that became the namesake of blog. My images have been featured in numerous publications including magazines such as, Modern Bride, Ceremony, San Diego Style Weddings and San Diego Bride & Groom, as well as on some of the more popular blogs including Snippet and Ink, In Style Weddings, Style Me Pretty, Southern Weddings and the list goes on. I speak frequently at major industry events including WPPI, Photoplus and on the Aperture World Tour as well as for Pictage’s PartnerCon where I have been a featured speaker in 4 of the 5 years. You may also have seen my images as one of the sample projects shipped with Apple’s Aperture 2 or Aperture Training Videos and Materials. I also shot a series of the business profiles seen on the www.apple.com. I decided a few years ago that not all camera bags should be canvas and velcro and designed by people with no fashion sense, so along with my friend and partner Lauren Hillary, I founded GO|BEE bags, a line of professional camera gear designed especially for photographers with their own sense of style. I love photography and the diverse and fascinating career it has given me. As a speaker, mentor and friend, I love taking advantage of opportunities to share what I know and to learn from the people I’m teaching. Nothing makes me happier than knowing I may have helped you, just a little along the way, on your path to success. My Mentoring Session will be just that, a session about you. I want to find out where you are and how I can help you get to the next stage in your career. If you want to shoot, we can shoot. If you want to talk about your workflow challenges, let’s jump into that. If you have a product you have been thinking about bringing to market and you want advise on how to do that, great! I am an open book and I want to give you what is going to help you instead of telling you what I think you should know.

My mentor session can take place at WPPI 2010 (Las Vegas), in my hometown of San Diego, CA OR on the phone.

Also included with my auction:

Copy of my Aperture Training DVD Either a GO|BEE Hip Clutch or Card Holster depending on if the package is purchased by a male or female photographer.

I love opening email with a possible surprise inside of it, excluding spam.

I did some shooting for Apple last year and I actually got the opportunity to go out and shoot the team at Quist twice which was a real treat.  They are such and incredible team.  Brett Suchor, their CEO is just one of the nicest and most efficient guys I have met.  His right hand woman, Patty Benson is the assistant of all assistants.  

During the shoot I could definitely see how integrated and organized they were able to stay with their Apple based environment, iPhones and Basecamp project management tools.  If you are looking for a way to stay on top of projects you should take a look at all the great tools that the team at Basecamp offer.  They are incredible for most businesses.  I know Pictage used it internally for a while and it kept everyone on task.  It was great.  

I looked for a way to integrate it with what we were doing at the studio but instead found that there was an even more specifically targeted offering out there that had the same elements.  For photographers specifically you should check out Shoot Q.  We are so excited about using a web based software that is allowing us to streamline processes and keep our clients informed of the progress at the same time.  

I love the little surprises that just get you excited about what you do.  Today, it came from my inbox.