There are countless stories to tell in San Francisco, but sometimes a picture says so much more that mere words. Each Tuesday, we present to you 7 Reasons. (Our sister site LAist does the same thing, which we found too inspiring to resist.) Much like Photo du Jour highlighting a nifty image shot by readers, 7 Reasons will feature photos from the SFist pool on Flickr showcasing the uniqueness of San Francisco. Here are 7 reason why the holiday season in S.F. is, for lack of a better word, rad.

Also, on today's special edition of 7 Reasons, we tip our hat to photographers who allow us to use their choice work on SFist each day. Really, these people are crazy talented and deserve your starving eyeballs' gaze. If you haven't already, peruse their Flickr pages for maximum viewing pleasure. San Francisco is jam-packed with mind-numbingly brilliant photogs, and here are some of their self-portraits.

Now, we'll do this again next week so please don't feel hurt if you don't see yourself today. We just picked off a few who had available self portraits. (Side note: we have a dearth of female photogs. Get on it, ladies.) And, if you don't want your image on the site, however obscured it maybe, please let us know via a friendly email.