Nottoway Plantation with Christmas decorations, White Castle, Louisiana. (Photos by Michael Tortorich)

Want to hear about the best date five dollars can buy?

It was a relatively nice early December Friday night when my friend Gabby told me about the Christmas Tree Lighting at Nottoway Plantation in White Castle, Louisiana (only like a 10-mile drive from Donaldsonville).

I was promised caroling, fireworks, among other things.

When she told me it was only five bucks to attend, I was sold (Yes, I'm cheap).

Nottoway Plantation, between Baton Rouge and New Orleans on the Mississippi River, is heralded as the South's largest antebellum mansion.

Of course, I brought my camera along for the trip to capture the beautiful sights. I wasn't disappointed in the subject matter.

Band performs holiday music at Nottoway Plantation.

I love the challenge of photographing at night. Low light and dark situations force me to find solutions. It often breeds creativity, as I must use the available light in conjunction with flash options.

I feel as though this separates the novice photographer from the advanced shooter.

Young and old alike explored the plantation grounds.

The event had a great turnout, and I found lots of photo opportunities.

Santa Claus himself waves for the camera.

I was fortunate enough to have the real Santa Claus (he told me so) pass right in front of my lens for a nice candid photo.

Simply put, it was just a great night to get out and take a few fun photos.

What's the point of this blog post? I suppose the moral of it is that even when I'm off the clock (not being paid), I'm still hungry to create new and interesting images.

I liken it to my dad, and how he is with cars. He's always loved mechanic work, and his job has always involved working with vehicles in some way or another.

Even when he wasn't getting paid to pull wrenches, he would do it for fun. He would spend hours working on his race car, or one of his hot rods (he had a sweet 1957 Chevrolet Bel-Air for the longest time).

He's all about cars.

I'm all about photography.

My dad has made a living from cars, and found enjoyment at the same time.

All I'm trying to do is apply that same idea to photography.

If you're interested in staying connected with me, by all means check back at this web site, as well as these:

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To reach me directly, call or text me at 225-717-0762.