Been there photo competition July 2009

Chris West: '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: Chris West/guardian.co.uk

Sarah Swinglehurst: 'It was a picnic to celebrate the completion of my boyfriend’s father’s new house in St Vincent in the West Indies. The builders treated us to mutton soup and stew which we ate at the side of Black Sand beach. This was followed by a game of dominoes. One of the builders is drinking a traditional drink called Sorrel. ' Photograph: Sarah Swinglehurst/guardian.co.uk

James Pemberton: 'The village of Shibam in Wadi Hadramawt, Yemen. With temperatures in the high 40's most of the day in summer, there is a short time before sunset when it's cooler and light enough to play football, and all the young men from the Shibam come out to play in the sands of the dry riverbed in front of the town. They certainly enjoy this moment in their day.' Photograph: James Pemberton/guardian.co.uk

Nick Jordan: 'A woman sits in her boat in the early evening, watching an electrical storm slide in across the coast near Hoi An, Vietnam.' Photograph: Nick Jordan/guardian.co.uk

Tom Oldham: 'Taken in Gambia in February 2009. Two traditional village communicators seize the moment when a photographer comes to town to flex some dance moves, Gambia-style.' Photograph: Tom Oldham/guardian.co.uk

Tess Tantrum: 'Taken on the Prince's Islands, Istanbul, Turkey. For me this shot embodies the lost magic of childhood. I wanted to capture the boys and especially the one standing and staring because they all were 'enjoying their moment'.' Photograph: Tess Tantrum/guardian.co.uk

Marco Groppi: 'Folegandros Island in Greece is tiny and crowded by tourists in the summer. But these men were actually enjoying the moment, a quiet moment in their lives, talking about their past or perhaps their future.' Photograph: Marco Groppi/guardian.co.uk

Kay Paris-Fernandes: 'There were many tourists on the famous stairs of the Vatican Museum. After waiting to try and get the perfect shot without the tourists of my boyfriend on the stairs, I decided to use them to add some drama to the photo.' Photograph: Kay Paris-Fernandes/guardian.co.uk

Adam Cummings: 'In amidst the clutter and madness of Rio Carnival, a young girl symbolised what it was all about. As her family were collecting and crushing cans in the background, she revelled away in the foreground, her infectious beaming smile one of millions that lit up the carnival.' Photograph: Adam Cummings/guardian.co.uk

Ben O'Hanlon: 'View from Sajjan Garh (The Monsoon Palace) in Udaipur, Northern India' Photograph: Ben O'Hanlon/guardian.co.uk

Emily Gionis: 'My friend Jack, very peacefully asleep in the grass on a break, while out planting trees in the middle of New South Wales, Australia.' Photograph: Emily Gionis/guardian.co.uk

Durham Evans: 'Poon Hill, Nepal. A rushed climb to see the sunrise, a sublime moment. I wondered why I couldn't breathe; it was the altitude ... ' Photograph: Durham Evans/guardian.co.uk

Duncan Thomson: 'We came across these kids in KhaoSok National Park, southern Thailand. It was Songkran (Thai New Year), where the tradition is to throw water over each other. They were having a great time being driven around soaking everyone they passed. The grins say it all … ' Photograph: Duncan Thomson/guardian.co.uk

Roxanne Levy: 'I took this photo of two people jumping off a bridge in Austin, Texas. It was over 100F so they obviously did it to cool down.' Photograph: Roxanne Levy/guardian.co.uk

Toby Pear: 'Two mates and I happened upon this cave opening, which framed a stunning view and sunset over Hampi, India. It was one of those overwhelmingly smug travelling moments.' Photograph: Toby Pear/guardian.co.uk

Joanna Frew: 'For me, this picture personifies the theme of "enjoying the moment". It was taken on Mount Maunganui beach in New Zealand on our honeymoon in March 2009 - my husband and I were delighted to find we had the perfect beach almost to ourselves!' Photograph: Joanna Frew/guardian.co.uk

Benjamin Arthur: 'Kuta, Bali. My girlfriend and I headed onto the beach to capture the sunset in this beautiful, scarred place (though nobody wants to think about that any more). I took my regular sun-setting shot and, as she was doing the same, I went behind her thinking it might make a more interesting shot. It did and was a perfect moment!' Photograph: Benjamin Arthur/guardian.co.uk

Leda Avgousti: 'Beautiful Sunday afternoon in Mumbles, Wales. I noticed a man who climbed the rock and stood there for around 10 minutes doing nothing more than gazing at the sea.' Photograph: Leda Avgousti/guardian.co.uk

The winning picture by Atri Ray: '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.''

Our judge, professional photographer Natalie Mayer, says: I love the natural feel of this photograph, the laughing looks fun and genuine and makes me feel happy. Nobody in the photograph is looking at the photographer, which gives their moment a sense of privacy. I like the chap furthest back in the group, it is like he is laughing so much he had to turn away. The haze of background action is also lovely, there is more going on in this photograph than what you might initially focus on, which adds depth and interest.' Photograph: Atri Ray/guardian.co.uk