Our monthly Been there readers' photo competition saw hundreds of entries in 2009. Award-winning Guardian photographer Dan Chung picks his favourite images of your year
Theme: the future. 'Already Birmingham's most iconic building, the Selfridges building at Birmingham's bullring is a photographer's dream.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: budget. 'This is of the Grand Hotel Scarborough. We got a coach trip from Leamington Spa to York, where we visited the minster and railway museum. We then stayed overnight at the hotel with evening meal and breakfast. The next day we had a few hours to explore Scarborough, then on to Whitby and back home, all for the princely sum of £39.95 each. Great value and great fun.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: by the water. 'Salen, on the Isle of Mull, Scotland: These fishing boats have been left to rot on the shoreline but have kept their bright colours'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: by the water. 'Getting a tow from another boat in Boracay, Philippines through the strong currents provided the perfect photo opportunity with the sunset in the background'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: by the water: 'We were walking along the cliffs next to Split harbour, Croatia, when we came across a group of teenage boys diving from 30-40 feet up. One of them saw us talking photos, and shouted that he was going to show us something special. The boat coming into shot in the distance made it perfect'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: by the water. 'Gentoo penguins at Paradise Bay, Antarctica'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: by the water. 'Two ladies gossip on a bench in Frinton-on-Sea'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: city life. 'A peaceful summer's evening reflected in the fountains of Le Louvre. After a hectic Parisian day, couples chat and relax by the famous pyramids'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: enjoying the moment. 'New Delhi, India. A perfect holiday morning with football and old friends - a potent combination, irrespective of age, time or geography. The moment is cherished forever for the carefree laughter it brings and a tinge of pining for 'the way we were.'Photograph: guardian.co.uk'Theme: enjoying the moment. 'We'd just got off a cheap short-haul flight to Crete, Greece, waited for hours in the concrete heat of Chania Airport and endured a sticky coach journey to reach our destination in Vamos. The race to change into swimming trunks, the feeling of the cool water and the summer breeze - it's all there in Nick's face.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: enjoying the moment. 'A woman sits in her boat in the early evening, watching an electrical storm slide in across the coast near Hoi An, Vietnam.' Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: the four elements. 'Samos, Greece. It was the colour of the aftermath of fire I was after here. There has been so much destruction of the island by it and yet it has a type of beauty too.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: the four elements. 'This was taken near Bruges, Belgium, when I was backpacking through Europe. We were travelling through the countryside on our way to the war cemeteries and Ypres. I couldn't resist the lines and the reflections...' Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: the four elements. 'Iceberg, dead ahead! On a boat on the way to the Upsala Glacier, Argentina.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: I am a travel photographer. '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: guardian.co.ukTheme: I am a travel photographer. '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: guardian.co.ukTheme: chance. 'This picture, taken in a "pachinko" (Japanese style games arcade) in Osaka, shows people very concentrated on taking a chance. It's terribly loud in there, and the machines accept small metal balls which people order by the basket.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: the four elements. 'I took this image of The Cascades waterfall at Virginia Water, Surrey, in early February this year, just after the snow earlier that week. I went hoping for more snow or even a hard frost, but alas there was nothing, although the waterfall was running at full force... and it was incredibly cold. I deliberately used a tripod and a slow shutter speed to blur the water but keep the rest of the photo very sharp to try conveying the crispness of the morning.'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: I am a travel photographer. '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. 'Photograph: guardian.co.ukTheme: summer. 'Having a quiet snooze in Southwold, Suffolk.'Photograph: David Meredith/guardian.co.uk
