The Entrance and Obligatory Photos of "The Group"

 We always get a group photo with the NPS entrance sign. People wait in line to get their pictures here.

When there is a sizable line, it is customary to hand your camera to the family waiting behind you and ask them to take your picture.  You take your chances when you do this because the person behind you in line may not know how to work your camera.  When you say 'just push this button'  they may not wait until you are quite ready for the picture.

They may not speak English.  They may not understand that you would like all the letters to appear in your picture so that you can actually read the sign you have waited in line to get your picture taken with.

You can remedy this by handing more than one camera to more than one person.  The problem here is that you will not all be looking in the same direction in your group photo.

You can try a group photo in other places in the park.  Once again, remember that the person you have handed your camera to is more interested in getting you to move out of their way than taking a good picture of your group.  They will not tell you that all they can see of your beautiful granddaughter is her hat.  They will give no thought to the fact that you are posing in front of a magnificent waterfall, and maybe you do not want two thirds of the picture to be the dirt path in front of you.  .

You can edit out the dirt.  But you can not edit in the top of the waterfall.  Or a child's face.
An alternate method is to  use the timer on your camera to set up your own group photo.

But your group will become cranky if you have to try the shot more than once (and you will) and your smiles will look fake (because they are) at the end of 10 seconds.

 But if you are persistent, and try enough times, and find the perfect stranger who knows enough to frame you with just enough beautiful scenery and is willing to sit on the ground to get the right angle, and happens to be nearby when you are genuinely having a good time, you will get a group picture that captures the memory you want to preserve. (Thank you, lady at Lake Josephine, for being all of those things.)

Remember that time we went to Glacier National Park? That was the best.