Guardian readers 

Been there photo competition, August: local life

From cobblers to post boxes, riding trains to harvesting tobacco, we select the best images on the theme of local lives
  
  


August Been there comp: Italian cobbler
An Italian cobbler invites me into his shop
Photograph: Liz Laughton Photograph: Liz Laughton/Guardian
August Been there comp: Train riding Dhaka
Two women are riding in a slab in between bogies of a local train. August 09, 2010. Dhaka, Bangladesh
Photograph: Saad Shahriar Photograph: Saad Shahriar/Guardian
August Been there comp: Blessing Nepal
I was lucky enough to be invited to a remote village in Nepal for the biggest festival of the year, Dashain. Here Kapil receives a tika blessing from his mother, the oldest member of his family. There was no power in the village, hence the dark houses
Photograph: Chloe Kenward Photograph: Chloe Kenward/Guardian
August Been there comp: Charity collections Sussex
Charity collections - Lindfield Village Day, Sussex
Photograph: Chris Mole Photograph: Chris Mole/Guardian
August Been there comp: Chinese students sketching
A group of Chinese students on a sketching field trip
Photograph: Will Aitken Photograph: Will Aitken/Guardian
August Been there comp: Ear cleaners Bombay
On the streets of Bombay there are men who clean ears. Here they are hard at work
Photograph: Emerey D'Sylva Photograph: Emerey D'Sylva/Guardian
August Been there comp: Fishermen and boats
Dominica: Fond St Jean fishermen dealing with boat problems
Photograph: Paul Crask Photograph: Paul Crask/Guardian
August Been there comp: Haffggling in Morocco
Taken on an old OM1 in Essaouira, Morocco. I have called this photo 'Don't forget to haggle!'
Photograph: Tim Jones Photograph: Tim Jones/Guardian
August Been there comp: Hot springs in Ecuador
Families enjoying themselves at the local hot springs, Baños, Ecuador
Photograph: Gavin Yam Photograph: Gavin Yam/Guardian
August Been there comp: Kids swimming in Brittany
Local kids taking a dip in Brittany, France
Photograph: Peter Rich Photograph: Peter Rich/Guardian
August Been there comp: Boy and buffalo, Vietnam
A boy rides a buffalo along a precarious rope bridge in northern Vietnam
Photograph: Jamie Lafferty Photograph: Jamie Lafferty/Guardian
August Been there comp: Maltese postbox
I couldn't resist. How much more local can you get? Taken in Malta last year, this kind of sums up the Maltese attitude to the rest of the world, and indeed themselves
Photograph: Rich Quarterman Photograph: Rich Quarterman/Guardian
August Been there comp: Old man in Fez
Spring 2010 in the old Palais Glaoui in Fez, Morocco. Abdu, painter, musician and smoker!
Photograph: Valerie Marinoni Photograph: Valerie Marinoni/Guardian
August Been there comp: Fishing in Havana
People fishing on the Malecón in Havana, Cuba
Photograph: Joseph O'Donoghue Photograph: Joseph O'Donoghue/Guardian
August Been there comp: Primary school Uganda
This photo was taken on my last day working as a teacher at Nawanyago Primary School, Uganda.  The heavens opened and everyone ran for cover
Photograph: Richard Duke Photograph: Richard Duke/Guardian
August Been there comp: Sacrifice in Madagascar
This photo was taken on a remote island off the west coast of Madagascar (Nosy Be). This Zubu is being prepared for a sacrifice ceremony. I was living with another Vezu tribe when this happened and it was a great privilege to be able to watch, although I had to stay outside the holy circle (stick fence)
Photograph: Matt Hudson Photograph: Matt Hudson/Guardian
August Been there comp: Tobacco reapers in Zambia
This shot was taken in Southern Province, Zambia and is of the tobacco reapers in the fields at around 5am
Photograph: Marie-Louise Gourlay Photograph: Marie-Louise Gourlay/Guardian
August Been there comp: Woman and dog, Cuba
A woman and her pet watching the day go by in front of her house in Santa Clara, Cuba
Photograph: Nicholas Lam Photograph: Nicholas Lam/Guardian
August Been there comp: Women in Kerala
Local women doing their morning routines captured from a houseboat in the early daylight hours on the waters of Alappuzha, Kerala, South India
Photograph: Harriet Butcher Photograph: Harriet Butcher/Guardian
August Been there comp: Young man in Paris
This young man, on the Pont Neuf, with his colour-coordinated clothes, the silver umbrella, two mobile phones and, of course, the Great Danes, is as emblematic of Paris as any shot of Notre Dame or the Eiffel Tower  
Photograph: Bryan Brooks Photograph: Bryan Brooks/Guardian
August Been there comp: A cobbler in Mexico City
Isidro Martinez, photographer: A cobbler at work on a tranquil Friday afternoon in the Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City

Natalie Mayer, judge: Lovely colours, and an interesting scene, perfectly cropped. There is a whole life going on in that little shop, even a christmas tree up on the shelf, CD's, the Pope ... and the man is intently working, oblivious to the camera. This shot is spot on
Photograph: Isidro Martinez Photograph: Isidro Martinez/Guardian
August Been there comp: Paris in Spring
Ann Maria Nolan: This photo captures park life in Paris at sunset on a spring day.

Natalie Mayer, judge: This is great. People going about their daily lives on a nice winter evening. It is a simple image, but some how gives me a feeling of being there. And that is what photography is all about.
Photograph: Ann Maria Nolan Photograph: Ann Maria Nolan/Guardian
August Been there comp: Washing in Burkina Faso
The winning shot by Lisa Freiburg: The picture was taken in a tiny village, close to Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso. At the start people were shy to be photographed but when they became familiar with me, this little girl wanted to be snapped. Unfortunately, the little brother being washed wasn't so happy!

Natalie Mayer, judge: This image really captures 'local life' as it happens. In a way, I think that it would have been even more engaging if the lady wasn't looking into the camera. This is hard to achieve, and you certainly don't want to sneak around offending people taking pictures when they don't know you are there. I find a good way to achieve this, and stay on good terms with your subject, is to take one picture when she looks, smile at her (with your camera still very close to your eye!) she will then automatically look away and assume you are done, and then, very quickly you have to take the next shot. Bam. That's the keeper.
Photograph: Lisa Freiburg Photograph: Lisa Freiburg/Guardian
 

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