Secret Santa

Nothing says hard-hitting investigatory journalism quite like a piece on Santa Claus. After all, he is arguably the most recognizable man in America, or at least top ten.

But for our final project in advanced techniques my team decided to take a different approach and get to know the man behind the costume. This seemed like a solid plan until Santa was firmly against anyone knowing his true identity. So we regrouped and came up with a new concept. 

Our subject has been transforming into Santa Claus for 27 years and only a handful of close friends and family know. He parks far away from any events and transforms in private locations to ensure his identity is concealed. No longer showing the man behind the suite, we were left with a project on a Secret Santa.  

The following are some of the photos that I made for the project: 

Here is my team's final project:

Secret Santa from Kristen DiFate on Vimeo.

Painting with Light

Photo by Christie Megura, Madison Mack, Melissa Klauda and Angela Hamilton.

At the end of South Bearfield Road in Columbia there are a series of abandoned buildings. One of the buildings is rumored to be an abandoned mental institution with patient paperwork located in the boiler room in the basement. In the abandoned swimming pool area, graffiti, clumps of hair and small bones are eerie reminders that although the building is condemned, it still gets visitors.