A picture may be worth 1000 words, but sometimes it’s not enough. We asked our InstagramYourCity finalists to tell us the stories behind their images, and loved getting to know why they chose the perspectives they did.

“This picture helped me capture the freedom and joy that are breathed in Colombia’s capital’s streets, along with a spectacular surrounding with a colonial architecture that can only be observed in Bogota’s centuries old downtown. There is a closed street that demonstrates the pedestrian flow that circulates through the city, and it is surrounded by vanguard and colonial constructions. The church of El Carmen, an icon in the Candelaria quarter, is projected in the background; behind it lay the eastern mountains and a magnificent sunny sky that lights up the morning in the capital.” – Manuel Alejandro Villamizar Pinzón
 

“It was a blast hunting for the quintessential London shot—and it didn’t hurt that when I was there the city was plastered in Union Jacks to celebrate the queen’s diamond jubilee. And although it may be a bit stale, I’ve always subscribed to Samuel Johnson’s belief that ‘when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.’” – David Ferry
 

“I was in LA for my birthday and spent a very peaceful evening watching the sun set at Venice Beach. Instagram has made me much more intentional about taking time each day to appreciate (and hopefully capture) the beauty that surrounds us each day, and social media is such a powerful way to share that with other people.” – Dan Goldman

 
“I made [the photo] a few weeks ago at Berlin’s great new 180 degrees hostel. It is so special to me because I was born in Eastern Germany, and I was about 12 or 13 years old when the Berlin wall, that divided our country, had fallen. Most of the experiences I made- during travelling or at university or the different jobs [I've held]- would not have been possible if the Berlin wall still would exist. Maybe you understand why “The world’s too small for walls” has such an intense personal meaning to me. And to find that picture on a wall at a place that is visited by young people from all over the world without barriers (walls) in their head is a great thing.” – Björn Köcher
 

“My photo was taken at Milton Lee Olive Park, which is one of my favorite views of Chicago, because of the amazing way it captures the skyline as a backdrop against Lake Michigan. Having the lake steps away from the city is one of the things I love most about living in Chicago. I am truly honored and humbled to be chosen as a finalist among so many incredibly talented photographers. Thank you to everyone at Social Media Week, the Instagram Your City judges and partners for giving me the opportunity to be a part of such an exciting contest.” – Stephanie Warsen
 

“I took that picture on a Friday the 13th (April) near Deoksugung Palace. It was an overcast spring morning and the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom. I stood on tiptoes, pointed my camera up to the sky and shot the best cluster of blossoms I could reach or photograph with my iPhone.” – Johanne Miller
 

“[I call this] ‘Dreaming London Under The Rain,’ taken on May 8, 2012, from the upper floor of a double-deck red London bus, with an iPhone and Instagram for the edit. I’m 24, from the North of Italy, was in London completing my Master at LSE and am a huge fan of London and Instagram. I have exhibited some of my photographs in Feb 2010 in Surface Gallery in Nottingham at the exhibition: “The perfection of the iMperfect”, which I curated together with other students from the University of Nottingham.” – Roberta Cucchiaro

“The story of my Glasgow picture, “Upper Deck Deluge”, illustrates the fun, informal spirit of the competition. Taken from the upper deck of a public bus, peering through the window into driving rain, I was en route to a City Centre opticians with my son. The “instagramming” deed was dome half an hour later, while hanging around the opticians.

As an illustration of the potential of social media, ‘Instagram Your City’ has demonstrated the positive power of using mobile tools to stimulate creativity, to connect and to make the world a little smaller!” -Trevor Lakey

What was your favorite image and why? Let us know!