If you've ever wondered what it would be like to be a celebrity photographer these days, here's a good read about a day in the life of the paparazzi in Los Angeles. These (mostly young men) can make tens of thousands of dollars from the sale of one good photo. Especially if the target is someone like Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan. But from the sounds of it, things are getting out of hand and competition is driving down their income. There are several dozen photographers at any given time, sitting in their cars, waiting for Britney to leave her house.

Here's an excerpt;

Far below, at the foot of the dry hills, the city of Los Angeles glints in the sun. Up here, it's a different world. The air is perfumed with sage, and Ferraris and Lamborghinis glide through the famous Mulholland curves. Sopranos star James Gandolfini drives past, then singing star Lionel Richie and O.C. actress Mischa Barton. None of the photographers bothers to raise a camera. All they care about is Britney.

Right now, they're killing time. It's just over a week since she was quietly released from hospital where she had been undergoing a psychiatric evaluation and they were waiting for Spears to do … anything.

Read about the daily life of LA paparazzi here.