Manual lenses on my D7000

It appears I am treading on new grounds. I was given an old Nikon FE from my way too generous uncle, and he had a couple of lenses with it. Being a child of the digital era, it has been very difficult for me to dive into that complicated way of photography....

WHERE'S THE MEMORY CARD GO?! 

WHERE IS THE DELETE BUTTON?!?!

YOU MEAN I HAVE TO BUY MORE FILM????????????

     Yeah, I went through 2 rolls of film........ I never got around to developing them though.
So when the day came that I'd finally got my first DSLR, Nikons D7000. I used that hefty price tag as encouragement to learn more than how to turn it on. I got used to how easy it was to snap a shot and be satisfied. The image is so stunning, that you almost have to TRY to take a bad picture. ESPECIALLY with this SB-600 Flash. EVERY SHOT looks so incredible! I LOVE IT.
     I do have to admit, I don't feel like I am taking the kind of pictures I should be with this type of camera. I take it to birthdays, take casual candids, the occasional artistic photo, but mostly pictures anyone would take. Just with a really nice camera.
     The day I got the D7000 I was excited to try those old lenses out on a camera that was DIGITAL.
I can't help it! We're a new, even more spoiled generation... 
     Blame YOUR generation for making it too easy.

     Anyways, I threw on a lens and popped off a few shots. They were so dark I couldn't see a thing!
I went up to Wolf camera, and discussed it with a salesman. He told me that some cameras aren't compatible with older lenses. I had the lenses with me and I showed him them and asked how much I could get for them so I could get a new lens. He told me I could probably get 20-30 bucks a piece.
     I was very very doubtful of that. So I kept them to research used value on the amazing world wide web. Of course the internet may be an amazing tool, but things don't post themselves on Ebay!

     Thankfully, my laziness paid off today. Since then, I have become much more familiar with my camera, and camera speak/definitions/function/and so fourth. I busted out the old lenses, fixed my mistake from times past by letting that light shine on in a little brighter!!! and BAM!

<----This is as far as I got on Day 1 
        with the D7000.

NO way! I can see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I ACTUALLY THINK I'M GETTING 
THE HANG OF THIS!!!!!!!!






I've done it. I can ACTUALLY do it now. These lenses have been deprived of light, or very little light for extensive amounts of time... :D for too long!!!!

I've been using only this 18-105 mm versatile little monster included with the D7000, but now I've got him some help so he doesn't have to try and do it all himself.
I've got a 55mm Micro, a 135mm, a 24mm, and a 50mm to start putting to use!!!


I will try to be more consistent with my blogging!!!

A sunny Sunday at Texas Motorplex

Today is my 22nd birthday! Man 22 feels SO MUCH different than 21 lemme tell ya...... hah.
 
     I celebrated by going to the NHRA Fall nationals yesterday at Texas Motorplex. A day full of insane amounts of speed, the wonderful smell of fumes and burnt rubber, and too much money spent on expensive drinks!!! ($4 for a bottle of water!)

They allowed anyone who was tired of sitting on those hard metal benches to walk the track. This enabled them to experience the sticky wonder of VHT.

Here is a brief description:

VHT, is a custom formulated resin, typically black in color, used in drag racing to either increase the traction of a car's tires or as a sealer for newly ground and/or resurfaced race tracks. It stays sticky for weeks, has fire-retardant properties and is hydrophobic.

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Quite a few people actually had their shoes stay on the track, as they took a step.
                    
         
  STICKY STUFF!

 Being a Sunday, the races ended around 4-5 PM. Which didn't allow me to get the amazing night shots I got last year with my Nikon P90. This trip with my D7000 would have been nice to be there at night, but there's always NEXT YEAR!!!

 THIS SHOT is pretty intense. Those back tires are beyond distorted. I can't wrap my brain around how so much can be going on during a fraction of those <4 seconds of race time.
        Less than 4 seconds and these monstrous machines reach speeds nearing 330 MPH!

 Our $10 Margarita.....OUCH

Amazing trailers. Dragster is lifted up to the top level while the bottom remains a fully loaded shop!