  We present a simple empirical parameterization of the x- and t-dependence of
generalized parton distributions at zero skewness, using forward parton
distributions as input. A fit to experimental data for the Dirac, Pauli and
axial form factors of the nucleon allows us to discuss quantitatively the
interplay between longitudinal and transverse partonic degrees of freedom in
the nucleon ("nucleon tomography"). In particular we obtain the transverse
distribution of valence quarks at given momentum fraction x. We calculate
various moments of the distributions, including the form factors that appear in
the handbag approximation to wide-angle Compton scattering. This allows us to
estimate the minimal momentum transfer required for reliable predictions in
that approach to be around |t|~3 GeV^2. We also evaluate the valence
contributions to the energy-momentum form factors entering Ji's sum rule.
