Staff member, Amid, was a fantastic problem-solver for me with the issue I had with my lens. He…read moretook the time to really assess the issue and didn't give up on it till he found a solution. Super grateful for his patience and service!

I have had extremely mixed experiences with Ace Photo for more than a decade. I'm a longtime film…read moreand digital photographer, and camera repair technician. Sometimes I've gotten good products for a good value; other times it's been really disappointing or even felt like being cheated or disrespected. I'll just tell a few stories from the years; you decide. About 5-6 years ago I bought a set of used lenses from their website. The items were well-priced and essentially new. I couldn't see any evidence of prior use. I've used them extensively and this was a great buy. In the past couple of years I bought a large format film camera from the website. It had a lens cone but no lens, and I emailed them prior to purchase to try to figure out what focal length the cone was made for, because it wasn't visible in the photos. A very basic question; the resulting emails proved that they a) had no clue what I was asking, b) had no idea of their ignorance, and c) were condescending, implying that I didn't know what I was shopping for. I gave up, bought it on faith, and as expected, the answer I needed was clearly engraved in large type on the cone. I assume the rep was looking at the website photos instead of the camera, and not seeing what I was asking for, tried to brush off what should have been a trivial question. But there was another problem. The camera was damaged after photographing for the website, in a visually obvious way, and they shipped it to me knowing it was broken (held together with a rubber band). I wrote back to ask for a discount, explaining that I was competent to machine a replacement part (this camera is out of production and there is no parts source, so that was the only option). The discount I received was insultingly small, but I kept the camera. Finally, in-person. I try to visit brick-and-mortar camera stores, and Ace had been on my list for years. It was so-so. First, I was greeted by the familiar claim that it's the largest camera store in the mid-Atlantic; I'd expected to spend 2-3 hours as I often do, but actually 20-30 minutes was plenty to browse everything. Definitely not the largest store in the mid-Atlantic, and I know firsthand. Still, I was interested in a couple of items. I asked about a discount on a vintage lens I would enjoy repairing, and was bluntly told they do not negotiate. I then explained that this lens had serious issues, and was told, again bluntly, that the shelf I got it from all had issues and was priced accordingly. That irritated me: the person was bluffing; they didn't know which shelf I'd gotten it from, and it was not a gear-with-issues shelf nor priced accordingly. They obviously thought it was in top condition and the price was delusionally high even if it'd been mint. Nonetheless, I mildly asked them to take a look at the glaring defects and see if they thought it was worth reconsidering. Two people tried to look at it, in clumsy ways that would never work; obviously totally inexperienced, but they kept squinting uselessly and then looking at me with scornful expressions like I was trying to scam them. I told them how to do it, but they condescendingly ignored me and kept doing it wrong, so I said more firmly, "let me show you." So I showed them something no reasonably competent person would have missed, and they took it back to ask the boss who said "no, price is firm." OK, fine; I asked about another item, whose tag listed a complete kit but half of the kit had obviously been sold off separately. The person looked on the website and said "that's how it is on the website so that's how it is." Again, just a blunt customer-is-wrong response, combined with customer-is-annoying tone. Despite this, two of the other staff members WERE really helpful and attentive, and seemed knowledgeable, hence why I call this a so-so experience. I've given a small but representative sample of many more stories I could tell here, and I think I'm done with Ace after the in-person visit. Life's too short to support people who run businesses like customers are just a money source to be sucked dry. I can't look past the 50/50 good-to-bad ratio anymore. Mistakes and occasional miscommunications etc are expected; a consistently higher than usual number of these kinds of bad interactions are symptomatic of something deeply wrong overall, and after reading other Yelp reviews I realize I'm not alone. (Update: Robert's response to this review really confirms my opinions.) I have more great options elsewhere than I can name here, and plan to give them my business in the future. Locally I recommend Pro Camera in Charlottesville, Southeastern Camera in Raleigh, Ball Camera in Asheville, KEH and PPR in Atlanta, among others. Online and further distant from this area, I recommend especially KEH, MPB, Roberts Used Photo Pro, National Camera, Midwest Photo, B&H, Adorama, Blue Moon Camera & Machine, Film Photography Project, Brooklyn Film Camera, and TheDarkroom film processing lab.

Tom knows photography and is an excellent teacher. He explains things clearly and in a manner I can…read moreunderstand. Tom is also patient and nice!

Tom is a terrific teacher. His personalized photography class meets the student at his/her own…read morelevel. I'm truly glad that I took Tom's class, as he focused immediately and systematically on the basics of photography using a DSLR camera. His experience, thoroughness, and follow-up made for a wonderful learning experience. One of his primary goals was to wean the student from using the "auto" settings regularly and he made me more comfortable in doing so. By scheduling an early morning final class at Fell's Point in Baltimore, he was able to integrate the principles taught earlier into a fun experience and "bring it all together". Would highly recommend! Michael J. Columbia, MD

Together again. I brought a 2 x 3 inch black and white of my mother-in-law from the 60's in asking…read moreif it could be enlarged, color added and a back ground effect to match a 20" x 24" painting we had of her husband. I worked with Neil who was amazing and understood exactly what I wanted. He was very reassuring. The quality of the results were amazing and well worth the cost! They now will both look over us at our family cabin for generations to come! Thank you so much!!!!!!

They did an absolutely wonderful job restoring a very old photograph for me ( mid 1800's). The…read moreattention to detail was amazing. They got the project done in 3 days and were responsive by email and phone. Easy to get to in Leesburg and made me feel like a first priority. I highly recommend these people.

Great class, l learned exactly what l wanted and more. This class took me through shutter speed,…read morelSO, f stop, white-balance, metering and more. I wanted to learn how to use my camera in Manual mode and that is what Sam learned us to do. Highly recommended:-))

Great classes! I had no idea about photography, and he helped me a lot. He went directly into…read moreteaching me manual mode, which I think is crucial, and he made sure to build the foundations for me to become a better photographer!

I've had a very nice Canon digital camera for several years that has never seen any setting other…read morethan "Auto". I found Elliot Cohen and his company, Washington Photo Focus, via a Google search when I was contemplating upping my photography game. I signed up for his intro class (via Zoom right now) and just finished the three class course. It was wonderful experience! It was just what I was looking for to increase my knowledge and comfort level with my camera. Elliot is a patient, methodical instructor. He encourages questions and answers thoroughly. He keeps the class sizes small which means a lot of personal attention. He had us give him info on our cameras before the class started so that he could give us very specific instructions on the various settings. See the "before" and "after" photos of one of our dogs.

I have had two online classes and a one-on-one session with Eliot Cohen and can report that he…read moreexceeded my expectations. He is an excellent teacher: knowledgeable, clear, patient, willing to listen, and with a sense of humor. Who could ask for anything more? Bravo. By way although the review says I am in San Francisco I am really in Washington, DC. Hard to trust this review system. But my review is genuine and true.

These guys are great!!! I am new to photography and I was a bit hesitant to attend a class because…read moreof my inexperience but I am glad I decided to go with Journey Photo Academy. They made my first photography experience fun and interactive. Despite having others in the class of a higher experience level they too the time to provided me with personalized attention to help me with my specific photography needs. I left the class with a ton of new knowledge. I would defiantly recommend them to anyone of any experience level!!!

From the owner: Our vitreoretinal physicians and surgeons have been caring for Southeast Louisiana and the…read moreMississippi Gulf Coast since 1969.

Online photography classes. Workshops and classes. Taught by professional photographers. They have…read moregreat free photo tips on their website. A great place to learn photography.

I did the fall foliage sunset and sunrise trip to Shenandoah National Park in October 2019 and…read morewould recommend it. Scott timed the trip perfectly-- the autumn colors were at peak and the weather was mild. I got many spectacular shots and received hundreds of likes on Facebook. We also photographed several waterfalls. The hikes at times were strenuous-- uphill and rocky paths -- but the effort was worthwhile.

I signed up for a photography class last June, excited to learn how to use my new camera. Never…read morereceived any communication other than a receipt, so when I reached out got a rude reply making it clear he didn't want any communication until the class took place. Then, the class got canceled because he didn't get enough students to make it worth his time. Thing is, it was reschedule for months later when I wasn't available. I requested a refund but got no reply. I went to my credit card company to get it refunded, but weeks later I got hit with the fee again. A big mistake getting involved with this guy.

Re Kyrgyzstan: A…read moreriver of email photo trip offerings arrive in my inbox each week. While they have merit and are attractive, the opportunity to travel throughout Kyrgyzstan is unique in the photo workshop/expedition world. I'd never seen an opportunity like this before, and it immediately intrigued and excited me. Additionally, I'd never been on a photo workshop before. The logistics of the trip are daunting. Eighteen days long, with fifteen days on the road. Other than three hotel nights in Bishkek, the capital, at the start and end of the trip, only three nights are in hotels, the rest in yurt camps or tents. The execution of the logistics was impeccable. There was never an oversight or a dropped ball. And, despite the demands of this trip and extensive behind the scenes coordination and decision making, trip leaders Justin Black and Jerry Dodrill were always warm and in good cheer, with abundant photographic suggestions, insights and approaches to subjects. There is great instruction while shooting, exposure to diverse environments (2,500 feet to 13,400 feet elevation), and more than enough time at a multitude of locations to develop both a feel and an approach for/to the subject matter. Both Justin and Jerry are world class photographers with decades of experience teaching, and it shows. Ask a question and you get an answer with years of knowledge behind it (Stop, I can't absorb any more!). A word of advice to potential participants...this is not a hotel-based experience. You will be able to most enjoy this trip if you've spent some time outdoors, some time in tents, understand the clothing necessities of weather and altitude, and are prepared to tolerate a little bit of discomfort for an extraordinary experience. Justin's packing list is flawless. I give this trip six stars, and I'm a tough grader.-Lee G., 2024 Kyrgyz Republic Expedition participant

I have been traveling with Visionary Wild all over the world since 2012 . With 28 workshops and…read moretrips completed, I have never been disappointed. I believe he provides expert photography information (instructions, critiques, advice), excellant lodging and food, and most importantly he gets us to the best locations in perfect time to catch the light. Every detail on a trip or workshop is managed ahead of time-there are no surprises. Each location is carefully planned and scouted out. Justin has always been patient and willing to listen and help from the time I was new to photography till I had gained some expertise. I always learn something new and will keep coming back!

Brooke is extremely talented with photography and has a gift for making people feel comfortable in…read moreany environment! I highly recommend Brooke for all your photography needs, I will be using her for all future events! I cant say enough positive things about Brooke, she is truly gifted!

If you are looking for a down to earth professional who just 'gets it' hire Brooke…read more We hired her and I could not be more pleased with the outcome of both our engagement shoot and our wedding photos. Her attention to detail, and to what was important to both my husband and I was key and she captured literally everything I asked her to, plus more! I can say that I have recommended her to everyone that has asked me for a photographer, including two of my friends getting married in the next few months. She is really just a gem of a person and so talented, I highly recommend her.