In these “After Hours” posts, members of the group tell the stories behind the pictures they have posted, and explain what motivates and inspires them. This week we have Vanessa Simpson who chose this image in June for 12pm:

•Which camera did you use? Why?

I used “Markie Mark” my Canon 5d Mark ii. I switch between shooting with my iphone 5 and my Canon, but on this particular day, had made a point to put away the phone and push myself to shoot for me. I have been doing a lot of client work and seem to have been only pulling the ‘big camera’ out for others and not myself.

•Do you have any plans for the next 11 months/what do you hope to achieve through the year?

Unlike several of the others, I don’t really have a plan (sorta how I roll). Looking at my images thus far, I appear to be pulling from everyday moments. I have been mixing frames from our outings with our everyday life around the house. I am doing my best to keep the images all DSLR, but I am sure one or two iphone images might sneak in over the year.

•Was this a typical day for you?

Nope. This particular day we were celebrating our 11th wedding anniversary. We decided to take a drive up to Seattle and play tourist for the day. We rode to the top of the Space Needle, danced around the outside of the EMP building and found a Chinese Cultural Festival that was happening. This is where we found the balloon artist and face painter.

•Why did you choose to post this photo?

I absolutely love how the colors stole the show in this image. It is the richness that I am constantly searching for in my work, but don’t always manage to get.

 •Do you usually shoot at this hour or was this new for you?

I always have my camera nearby. So this wasn’t anything new to me. If Markie Mark isn’t nearby, the iphone is. Sure I chase that golden light with the best of them, but when something catches my eye and asks to be photographed, I do it. No matter what time of day it is, high noon included.

•And a final image, or several from you?