Readers' travel photography competition: September – in pictures

Hustle and bustle are matched by stillness and calm in this month’s selection of stunning images from around the world. Scroll down to see the winning shot, judged by Mick Ryan of fotovue.com. Monthly winners will be displayed at the year-end exhibition at the Guardian’s London office; the overall winner gets a fantastic Secret Fjords’ self-drive holiday to Iceland for two people with Discover the World

Main image: Fishermen on the River Li in China. These boatmen, who fish the River Li in China, participate in an illuminated display for tourists which takes place on the river on some evenings. The visual impact is quite stunning. davidelliottphotos@orange.net

  • Louise Waldron

    Early morning activity in the thriving wholesale fish market of Kolkata, India. I only wish you could smell it too!
    By Louise Waldron. Early morning activity in the thriving wholesale fish market of Kolkata, India. I only wish you could smell it too!

  • Ruth Grindrod

    Bamburgh beach, Northumberland, in August, just after a storm. The rollers are pushing in on this wonderful beach amid mist and spray and a hint of a sunset.
    By Ruth Grindrod. Bamburgh beach, Northumberland, in August, just after a storm. The rollers are pushing in on this wonderful beach amid mist and spray and a hint of a sunset.

  • David Paul Elliott

    Fishermen on the river Li in China. These boatmen participate in an illuminated display, for tourists, which takes place as evening comes. The visual effect is stunning.
    By David Paul Elliott. Fishermen on the river Li in China. These boatmen participate in an illuminated display, for tourists, which takes place as evening comes. The visual impact is stunning.

  • Daniel Allcock

    Bolivian cholitas wrestling. Think WWF, but in traditional Bolivian dress.
    By Daniel Allcock Bolivian cholitas wrestling. Think WWF, but in traditional Bolivian dress.

  • Andy McCluckie

    My girlfriend and I visited Dubrovnik on the last two days of our Croatia trip this summer. We knew it would be busy, and a taxi driver had warned us about when the cruise ships come in. I took this as we were hauling our luggage across the street. As we exited a side alley, I saw this line of tourists marching towards us like a hoard of the undead.
    By Andy. My girlfriend and I visited Dubrovnik on the last two days of our Croatia trip this summer. We knew it would be busy, and a taxi driver had warned us about when the cruise ships come in. I took this as we were hauling our luggage across the street. As we exited a side alley, I saw this line of tourists marching towards us like a hoard of the undead.

  • Eddie Smith

    Italian boys try to out dive each other from the cliffs of Vernazza, in Liguria. I sat watching them attempt more and more daring dives. Their showmanship had me captivated for an hour as I sat on the rocks … not quite brave enough to join them.
    By Eddie Smith. Italian boys try to out dive each other from the cliffs of Vernazza, in Liguria. I sat watching them attempt more and more daring dives. Their showmanship had me captivated for an hour as I sat on the rocks … not quite brave enough to join them.

  • Christina Bennett

    On the last day of the Tour Du Mont Blanc, while coming over a high pass, I was confronted by this huge herd of sheep. Then I noticed this content, if somewhat bemused, dog in the middle of them.
    By Christina Bennett On the last day of the Tour Du Mont Blanc, while coming over a high pass, I was confronted by this huge herd of sheep. Then I noticed this content, if somewhat bemused, dog in the middle of them.

  • Matthew Peacock

    This is from my first cycle from Cambridge to London and also the first image I took on a new Olympus Trip camera. I stopped cycling because I was drawn to the stark look of the landscape.
    By Matthew Peacock. This is from my first cycle from Cambridge to London and also the first image I took on a new Olympus Trip camera. I stopped cycling because I was drawn to the stark look of the landscape.

  • Declan Keane

    This was taken amid the beech trees at the Dark Hedges in Antrim, Northern Ireland (a filming location for Game of Thrones), early on an August morning. I was fortunate to be there on a foggy morning as it really added to the overall mood of the image.
    By Declan Keane. This was taken amid the beech trees at the Dark Hedges in Antrim, Northern Ireland (a filming location for Game of Thrones), early on an August morning. I was fortunate to be there on a foggy morning as it really added to the overall mood of the image.

  • Phil Burnside

    The feet of a Maasai woman, taken in a Maasai village in northern Tanzania.
    By Phil Burnside. The feet of a Maasai woman, taken in a Maasai village in Northern Tanzania.

  • Georgia Sharp

    I don’t know who she is but I’d love for her to see this photograph. The midsummer heat sizzled down on the Liberty bridge connecting Buda to Pest, in Hungary. The sounds of the city rumbled as cars sped past and tourist chattered. I looked up to see this ethereal beauty sauntering down the structure. A moment of serenity amid chaos.
    By Georgia Sharp. I don’t know who she is but I’d love for her to see this photograph. The midsummer heat sizzled down on the Liberty bridge connecting Buda to Pest, in Hungary. The sounds of the city rumbled as cars sped past and tourist chattered. I looked up to see this ethereal beauty sauntering down the structure. A moment of serenity amid chaos.

  • Esther Metcalf, runner-up

    This was taken in the piazza of Saint Peter’s, Vatican City, Rome. As we walked in awe around the square, this June, the quiet resting of these fellow visitors bought a moment of calm in the shadows. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: A holiday snap? Maybe. But a great one. Repeating patterns are always compelling but more so here with the surreptitiously caught resting couple breaking up the columns. Beautifully composed and I like the 1970s-style Kodak look too.
    Resting in the colonnade, esthermetcalf@yahoo.co.uk

  • Thomas Roberts, runner-up

    I was staying in the Dumbo district of Brooklyn and spent a morning photographing Manhattan from across the Hudson river. There was beautiful side light illuminating the Empire State building and capturing a photo of it framed under the arch of the Manhattan bridge was too good an opportunity to miss. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: One of the iconic NYC locations: the intersection of Water Street and Washington Street, and the view of Manhattan bridge and the Empire State. Although it has been taken many times, this is a fine example of this classic viewpoint.
    By Thomas Roberts, runner-up. I was staying in the Dumbo district of Brooklyn and spent a morning photographing Manhattan from across the Hudson river. There was beautiful side light illuminating the Empire State building and capturing a photo of it framed under the arch of the Manhattan bridge was too good an opportunity to miss. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: One of the iconic NYC locations: the intersection of Water Street and Washington Street, and the view of Manhattan bridge and the Empire State. Although it has been taken many times, this is a fine example of this classic viewpoint.

  • Simon Dunn, winner

    This was taken in the South Ari Atolls, Maldives, as the south-west monsoon season was setting in. It features my partner – and dive buddy – Emma after surfacing at the end of the last dive of the day to find 1.5 metre swells and dark monsoon clouds. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: This beautiful portrait of a diver in an ocean swell below a menacing sky stands out this month for its emotional and elemental beauty. It is a reminder that while we may play among nature we are always dwarfed by its power and must be constantly on our guard.
    By Simon Dunn, winner. This was taken in the South Ari Atolls, Maldives, as the south-west monsoon season was setting in. It features my partner – and dive buddy – Emma after surfacing at the end of the last dive of the day to find 1.5 metre swells and dark monsoon clouds. MICK RYAN, JUDGE: This beautiful portrait of a diver in an ocean swell below a menacing sky stands out this month for its emotional and elemental beauty. It is a reminder that while we may play among nature we are always dwarfed by its power and must be constantly on our guard.
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