Readers' travel photograph competition: September – work

Matt Paish: Fishermen in Kovalam, India, prepare their netting before heading out to sea. Despite working hard in the heat, they were happy to have their photo taken.
Photograph: Matt Paish

Slawek Kozdras: I took this photo in one of the poshest streets in London. It shows two construction workers taking a short break – one is about to eat a snack and the other one is smoking. The scene is dominated by a photo of a very different type of work – a model posing on rocks with beautiful sea behind her. I liked the juxtaposition.
Photograph: Slawek Kozdras

Margo Ryan: With a wad of betel nut stuffed into his cheek, this bus conductor was shouting to persuade passersbys to board his already packed bus. It was taken in the evening in bustling downtown Mandalay, as people were trying to get home.
Photograph: Margo Ryan

Stephen Jackson: Window cleaners at the Sage in Gateshead. I was up there seeing some sights while visiting my brother. The two men did not really pay me much attention and I shot about 10 frames. I like this one because of their smiles.
Photograph: Stephen Jackson

Cameron MacMaster: The endless, thankless task of trying to keep the ghats clean in Varanasi, India.
Photograph: Cameron MacMaster

Daniel Possamai: North Chinese farmers harvesting wheat. The extremely dry and rough land makes the job much tougher in Minqin county, a village in Gansu province in the Gobi desert.
Photograph: Daniel Possamai

Dom Burdon: I had to wake up really early to capture this photo, taken as the sun was rising over Inle lake in Burma. The lake is a life source for the locals, many of whom still use traditional means to catch fish from the fairly shallow water.
Photograph: Dom Burdon

Doug Nicholls: We only had a morning to look round the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, and the palace was closed for lunch, but I spotted this fella keeping a look out by a side entrance. He's not winking – he only had one eye.
Photograph: Doug Nicholls

Matt Wood: This father-and-son team had moored in the little fishing port on the small Italian island of Procida. After a long morning at sea followed by a large lunch, they returned to their boats to prepare the nets for the following day.
Photograph: Matt Wood

Nora de Angelli: This was taken in at Lellama, Sri Lanka's second-largest fish market, in Negombo. The fishermen here lived in abject poverty, sleeping on the beaches they work from. The men often fish on the seas for months in a row and, afterwards, the immense heaps of seafood they catch – including crabs, shrimps, cuttlefish and stingrays – is left to dry under the sun.
Photograph: Nora de Angelli

Peter Feenan: The fisherman of Inle Lake in Burma keep their hands free by wrapping one leg around the oar. They can navigate the shallow waters and thick vegetation with precision and it is a sight to behold for those unfamiliar with the technique.
Photograph: Peter Feenan

Simon J Smith: While strolling around Jakarta harbour in the late afternoon, I noticed a fisherman cleaning the deck of a trawler. I took a light reading from the very bright sky in order to get the silhouette effect. The fisherman was cleaning his teeth at the same time as washing the ship’s deck.
Photograph: Simon J Smith

Mark Hughes: We stumbled into this diner in San Francisco on a wet January evening. It was like walking into a movie, with the staff and the customers all larger than life. Just perfect for tourists looking for a taste of "real America".
Photograph: Mark Hughes

Andrew Barber: Travelling across Nigeria by Landrover, I stopped briefly to prepare some lunch when this herdsman and his cattle appeared as if from nowhere.
Photograph: Andrew Barber

Stuart Goodwin: In a narrow alley in the walled city of Old Lahore in Pakistan, I came across these men working in their shop – basically a large cupboard with just enough room to cram everything in. The owner (wearing the cap) had studied engineering in the UK, but returned to Pakistan to carry on the business started by his grandfather. I love the way it shows how things still get repaired here; in this case, motors are being rewired (the other man is counting each turn of copper wire).
Photograph: Stuart Goodwin

Nick White, runner-up: In the backstreets of Old Delhi, I stumbled across a jewellery workshop. Dozens of young craftsmen were working intricately in the separate rooms of a former residential house, in just the right amounts of light. They were not used to tourists walking in on them but, or perhaps because of that, they were happy to show us their work.
Natalie Mayer, judge: Lovely lighting happening here, a beautiful depiction of working. I would like to have seen a little more of the work that was going on – because as the subject seems to have stopped his task for the photograph we are missing the action. But still, the colours and scene photographed here are very pleasing to view.
Photograph: Nick White

Bjorn Olsson, runner-up: This photo was taken on Jambiani beach, Zanzibar. There are few opportunities for women to work on Zanzibar but the women here grow seaweed for export. The demanding work requires them to seize every opportunity the tide offers to tend to their farms, which are only accessible at low tide, often at first light.
Natalie Mayer, judge:This is a very classically beautiful shot, well captured. It works well that the photographer has allowed us to see the profile of the subjects' face – if she had been turned more away from the camera, the definition would have been lost and the image would have suffered as a result. The composition is also very well balanced, with the subject walking into the image. Photograph: Bjorn Olsson

John Hodgson, winner: This photo was taken at a busy market in Kathmandu, Nepal. The city itself is incredibly photogenic with a non-stop buzz of activity – be that religious, social or, in this case, at work in one of the city's many markets.
Natalie Mayer, judge: I'm delighted by the balance of this image. Initially the three symmetrical windows are very pleasing, then we notice the three men, all in a different position, all focussed on something else. As we look from one to the next, we find they are all interesting, independently. The chap in the front, engrossed in his own conversation, adds yet another point of interest. Overall, lots going on, and beautifully captured at an opportune moment.
Photograph: John Hodgson