Guardian readers November 2, 2009

Been there photo competition, October 2009

The theme this month was: 'I am a travel photographer' and it inspired a range of creative shots

Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India — Barrington Russell: 'Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, An Indian wife departs for the bazaar through the decaying labyrinth of Jodhpur, India; taking care to avoid the puddles and streams of rubbish and effluence. Working men can be seen behind sacks of clay and sand, resting from their efforts to renovate the streets.' Photograph: Barrington Russell/guardian.co.uk

The Forbidden City in Beijing — James Buchanan: 'We had chosen the hottest day in our trip to tackle the Forbidden City in Beijing, and took a break in the middle of the afternoon in a shaded courtyard. A Chinese family had the same idea ... that is, all of the family except for their son, who thought it an opportune time to convert his Forbidden City leaflet into an expertly constructed paper plane.' Photograph: James Buchanan/guardian.co.uk

Iceland — Marie Peyre: 'Snæfellsnes Peninsula, north of Reykjavik, Iceland. Highway One is the only highway in Iceland, linking the main towns to Reykjavik, the capital, with a loop - hence its name, the Ring Road. It's the ultimate road trip if you're after big open spaces and stunning nature, but don't expect to encounter too many other road users on the way - outside of the (small) urban centers, you're more likely to meet sheep than locals.' Photograph: Marie Peyre/guardian.co.uk

Washington DC — Nick Board: 'On a short trip to Washington DC last month, I visited the Vietnam Memorial on the Mall. A very simple but effective memory to the thousands who lost their lives. While I was there I saw veterans visiting with their families, and unsuccessfully choking back emotion, on seeing friends names inscribed on the black stone. This photo shows the Washington Monument towering over all, in the reflection.' Photograph: Nick Board /guardian.co.uk

Iguazu Falls — Paul Crowley: 'Iguazu Falls. A close up of a beautifully coloured Butterfly resting on top of a garbage bin with the awesome Iguazu Falls in the background.' Photograph: Paul Crowley/guardian.co.uk

Omani sand dunes — Rob Tye: 'Desert expedition across the Omani sand dunes.' Photograph: Rob Tye/guardian.co.uk

'Cusco, Peru — Parminder Sandhu: 'Cusco, Peru. At an altitude of approximately 10,000ft this elderly lady makes her living in the tourist industry.' Photograph: Parminder Sandhu/guardian.co.uk

Litang, China — Gavin Yam: 'Sharing a joke, Litang Monastery, Litang, China.' Photograph: Gavin Yam/guardian.co.uk

Tokyo Metro — Peter Norris: 'Tokyo Metro. Camera set on auto-focus, auto exposure, wide-angle 20mm lens to speculatively capture the passengers' natural expressions, which would have been lost if I had brought the camera up to my eye and drawn attention to myself.' Photograph: Peter Norris/guardian.co.uk

Yangshuo, Guangxi Province, China — Tony Jones: 'Yangshuo, Guangxi Province, China. This is Mr Liu, a farmer and beekeeper I met while cycling along the River Li in Yangshuo, China. I don't speak any Chinese, and his English was non-existent. But this didn't matter as he proudly showed his half-built bee hive, already installed with a small nest.' Photograph: Tony Jones/guardian.co.uk

Shibuja area of Tokyo — William Burton: 'Shibuja area of Tokyo. The crossing was just crazy - a sheer mass of people.' Photograph: William Burton/guardian.co.uk

Oriole Park baseball pitch — Dave Griffiths: We were on holiday in Baltimore and took in a game on a balmy night in August. Highlight of the evening was a barbequed pork sandwich from Boog Powell's BBQ Pit out beyond the bleachers (to the right of the scoreboard in the center of the shot). Photograph: Dave Griffiths/guardian.co.uk

Local cyclists in Hoi An — Benjamin Arthur: 'Many of Hoi An's charms may be in the process of being stripped away by the voracious demands of modern tourism, but there is plenty to see in these streets to remind us of the way things were. I like to think of the guy on the bicycle in this picture as a throwback to Hoi An's past.' Photograph: Benjamin Arthur/guardian.co.uk

Llama at Machu Picchu — George Hotham: 'Machu Picchu is one of the most photographed places in the world but on this occasion the llama steals the show. Framing the ruins perfectly the llama appears to be blowing the last of the morning's clouds away.' Photograph: George Hotham/guardian.co.uk

Tewet Tarn, Cumbria — Andrew Airey: 'Taken at dawn on Saturday 17 October from Tewet Tarn near Keswick in Cumbria.' Photograph: Andrew Airey/guardian.co.uk

Spider outside the Guggenheim, Bilbao — Dave Roberts: 'Rear of the Guggenheim, Bilbao - the 'dark side'.' Photograph: Dave Roberts/guardian.co.uk

Boys looking through a hole in a wall, Morocco — Winning photo by Oliver Shaw: 'This shot was taken on the outer wall of the old town in Marrakech, Morocco. We think the boys were trying to fish out some eggs resting in a nest in the wall. '
Photographer Natalie Mayer said: 'These days, with everyone doing their fair share of travelling with a camera, there are many obvious 'travel' shots which have become cliches as a result. I think the trick is to not forget to capture 'moments' rather than just staid shots of people abroad that we have all seen before. This one really stood out as having caught a nice moment in an clever and simple way. I like the composition, and I like the mystery - what are they looking at, cheeky peeping lads?! The shot has a nice documentary feel - you really don't feel the presence of the photographer - as the viewer, you are spying on the boys who are in turn spying on something else, and it is all done very unselfconsciously. I like that. Photograph: Oliver Shaw/guardian.co.uk

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