[musca in soup (Jim)]

Hi all,
I have just registered tonight, having just bought my first ever telescope, a Meade 8" LX200GPS last week. It's been pouring here in central NSW so I've only had it out once so far. The plan is to get the hang of it enough to be able to do star talks and astronomy nights for school groups and interested people. (I've done some before with borrowed equipment). The skies are very black if I drive 10km in any direction from town.

What filters do people suggest I get as a 'basic set' to optimise viewing of planets and the moon?

Is this scope likely to be able to take photos? What extra bits would I need for this and is there any good sites to look for equipment for sale?
cheers
jim