It's funny that you enjoy the "top pictures" tab, as that's really one of my least-favorite parts of the app! I appreciate the intimate photo sharing with my immediate circle, but to see the stuff that floats to the top really makes me question the network as a whole.
I think this tab is funny for occasional browsing. Maybe it is because I really like the app and don´t follow that much people yet, so my timeline is a little quiet :)