Nature’s Paparazzi, photo by Harold Davis. View this image larger.

Even in the snow (or maybe particularly in the snow) nature’s paparazzi wait at Tunnel View in Yosemite. There’s a second row of photographers in front and below the line of tripods and photographers that you can’t see in this photo.

The air temperature may be chilly, but everyone is warm and friendly, sharing shop talk about Canon versus Nikon and the like. Still, a few pesky trees constrain the compositional possibilities. As much as the photographers would like these trees to be gone, no one thinks the Park Service will oblige by chopping them down any time soon. So getting a decent composition by dodging between the photographers who staked a claim to their prime real estate early is a real trick. At least most tour buses don’t show up on cold winter days.