Readers' travel photograph competition: October – faces

Kana Baroda: India's Dussehra festival, which is celebrated in the coastal village of Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu, sees hundreds of thousands of devotees dress themselves as the goddess Kali or as kings, monkeys, beggars… whatever they fancy. After prayers, they proceed to the nearby beach to cleanse themselves of evil.
Photograph: Kana Baroda

Nina Dempsey: I was in Tanzania helping to rebuild a school, when all the children were let out of their lessons to have a good look at us. We spent nearly an hour playing games and taking pictures. This is by far my favourite, the children were having so much fun posing and messing around!
Photograph: Nina Dempsey

Stuart Goodwin: Shami is an unofficial guide at the Badshahi mosque in Lahore, Pakistan. Sadly he gets few customers these days. His handwritten business card says, 'On the day when we can fully trust each other there will be peace on Earth'. He is pictured in one of the mosque's alcoves, where he sings in order to demonstrate the extraordinary acoustics
Photograph: Stuart Goodwin

Nicola Cooper: Waiting for a bus in Belur bus station in Karnataka, India, the late afternoon sun was shining across the bus yard, casting fantastic light everywhere. I came across this girl and her family who were about to depart on their journey.
Photograph: Nicola Cooper

Simon Saunders: My mother, enjoying a gentle stroll across Pont de la Concorde in Paris, was rudely interrupted by passing traffic. She'd relaxed for a couple of portrait shots, but this startled and somewhat comic expression, coupled with the dramatic colour of her coat, contrasts vividly with the serene and almost monochrome background.
Photograph: Simon Saunders

Dave Mikhail: I took this image while I was in the industrial area of Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates. These men had been working on the water truck in the background. They are typical of the many expat workers in the Emirates that work long hours in low-paid jobs.
Photograph: Dave Mikhail

Zul Mukhida: I shot this image while I was working in Uganda for Sightsavers. We were covering Sightsavers work with trachoma and the distribution of antibiotics to the communities in this rural village near Kaliro, Uganda.
Photograph: Zul Mukhida

Gareth Smith: This idyliic small island off Borneo is surrounded by three or four large resorts, but nestled in the middle lies a community who were once sea gypsies that sailed from the Philippines. Not being recognised by the Malaysian government means they must carve out a living for themselves.
Photograph: Gareth Smith

Matt Crisp, runner-up: While volunteering for a youth charity on a trip to Kenya, we were painting a small school classroom in one of Nairobi's biggest slums and a small group of kids turned up to help us out. As soon as I got my camera out, they all wanted to have their photo taken and this shy little guy proved particularly photogenic.

Natalie Mayer, judge: This is an eye-catching and strong image. Beautifully simple with very good use of a shallow depth of field. I think the composition could be balanced off a bit by cropping ever so slightly from the right – my eye does this crop when viewing. Try it, and look at both versions a few times to see which you prefer.
Photograph: Matt Crisp

Iselin Shaw, winner: I met this woman while I was studying in Hoi An, Vietnam. I was walking along the beach with my camera when she offered my some nuts. I took the nuts and asked if I could take a picture of her, to which she agreed. The language barrier then led us to have a 10-minute conversation consisting mostly of laughter.

Natalie Mayer, judge: Wow, that skin. Beautiful. And the colour of the shawl brings out the colour of the eyes. Lovely simple tight composition, the image could have benefitted from a shallower depth of field (a 1.2 or 1.4 lens would have been great). Still, very strong image.
Photograph: Iselin Shaw