Every camera bag should have a lens cleaning cloth, an extra memory card and most important, an extra battery. Additionally, the accessories listed below might come in handy.

 A clear glass filter designed to protect your front lens element from scratches or other damage. Get one for each lens and leave it on, unless you're using a different filter. No stacking filters.

Sunglasses for your lenses. Use on a bright sunny day to help increase saturation and contrast. Also use to remove glare on water, windows and foliage.

When you need a slow shutter speed in daylight, this filter helps prevent overexposure.
Perfect for photographing waterfalls in daylight.

Shoot in the rain or snow and use a rain sleeve to protect your camera and lens.

If you struggle to see your LCD screen when you're shooing outdoors on a sunny day, try one of these loupes. 

Visit their website at
https://www.hoodmanusa.com/HoodLoupes-s/128.htm

Telephoto, wide angle, fish eye and macro are some of our favorites. They also have filters for smartphones.

Visit their website at
https://www.shopmoment.com/shop/categories/all?collection=photographer-collection

When your fingers are too big for editing on your phone, a stylus is a the way to go.

Visit their website at
https://tenonedesign.com/pogo.php

Ongoing VIRTUAL exhibit

"Sailors and Daughters" reveals the expansive maritime societies of Zanzibar, the east African coast, and beyond. From the 1840s, cameras traced the international migrations of traders, sailors, sons, and daughters through Indian Ocean ports, continuing trade that dates back over five millennia. East African cities flourished as hubs of both land and sea trade routes, which extended to the central African interior, Horn of Africa, Persian Gulf, Indian Ocean islands, western India and the Far East.

The region’s intercultural ethos generated a multitude of encounters between subjects, photographers, and the global audiences who viewed the resulting images. By gathering images from scarce and little-known collections of early photographs, lithographs, postcards, and private albums, this exhibition focuses attention on a diverse cross-section of the region’s people and their cosmopolitan cities by the sea. It serves as a starting point for a larger photographic and creative visual history of the prosperous and diverse communities of the Indian Ocean world.

Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
950 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, D.C. 20560
http://indian-ocean.africa.si.edu/

Ongoing VIRTUAL exhibit

NOT AN OSTRICH: & OTHER IMAGES FROM AMERICA’S LIBRARY, organized by the Annenberg Space for Photography in Los Angeles and drawn from the photography collections of the Library of Congress, presents a taste of this institution’s spectacular holdings of more than 14 million photographs. Selected images reproduced for this online exhibition were made between 1839 and today. They trace the evolution of photography, from daguerreotypes and other early processes to contemporary digital technology.

Library of Congress
10 First Street SE
Washington, DC 20540
Southwest Gallery, Thomas Jefferson Building
https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/images-from-americas-library/about-this-exhibition/

Ongoing VIRTUAL exhibit

An icon in modern photography, Mary Ellen Mark (1940 - 2015) documented people around the world who might otherwise be unknown or forgotten.  From street children in Seattle to circus performers in India, Mark captured the lives and stories of individuals with empathy, humor and candor.  The exhibition includes photographs from some of the artist's best-known series that depict girls and young women, reflecting Mark's wonderous and uncanny vision of girlhood.

National Museum of Women in the Arts
1250 New York Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005
https://nmwa.org/whats-on/exhibitions/online/mary-ellen-mark-girlhood/

March 1, 2024 - January 4, 2026

George Hurrell (1904–1992) was Hollywood's leading portrait photographer during the 1930s and early 1940s. Starting at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) at just 25, he quickly became the studio’s principal portraitist. Known for his artful posing, innovative lighting, and skillful retouching, Hurrell created glamorous portraits of many of the era's top stars, capturing their elegance and allure.

In 1933, Hurrell left MGM to open his own studio on Sunset Boulevard, where he continued to photograph both MGM stars and actors from other studios. After closing his studio in 1938, he worked for Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures before serving in a military film unit during World War II.

Post-war, the rise of candid photography with portable cameras marked a shift away from the carefully crafted studio portraits Hurrell was known for. Reflecting on the change, Hurrell remarked that when the large 8x10 cameras were no longer in use, the glamour of Hollywood had disappeared.

National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC
https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/star-power

June 20, 2025 - June 7, 2026

In the early years of photography, studios used the tagline "Secure the shadow, ere the substance fade" to highlight the medium's ability to capture fleeting moments and preserve them. Portraits in the large whole-plate format (8.5 × 6.5 inches) were among the most prestigious offerings. This exhibition, drawn from the National Portrait Gallery's collection, explores the evolution of this format, from the high-end daguerreotype to the mid-range ambrotype and affordable tintype. Featured works include portraits of notable figures like senators Daniel Webster and John C. Calhoun, artist John Frederick Kensett, and an unidentified African American woman.

National Portrait Gallery
8th and G Streets, NW
Washington, DC
https://www.si.edu/exhibitions/shadow-substance-grand-scale-portraits-during-photographys-formative-years:event-exhib-6769

November 1 & 2, 2025 

Mid-Atlantic Photo Visions (MAPV) 2025 event will be held in-person at the George Mason University Arlington Campus!
Come together to collaborate, socialize, and learn in all areas of photography.

Offering an inspiring lineup of renown speakers with exciting presentations on a wide variety of topics from landscape to portraiture to architecture and everything in between.

Bring your camera and enjoy any of the Hands On Workshops

Also at the event are camera manufacturer reps, photography vendors, and a local camera store open for business.

To top it all off, visitors can view the 500+ juried photos on exhibit from club members and students from area schools.

George Mason University
Arlington Campus
https://midatlanticphotovisions.org/