This past fall, several students submitted their art to be judged for the prestigious YoungArts award. They can enter their art in a variety of disciplines ranging from classical music to photography. Out of over 11000 entries, 800 contestants received the “winner” designation, and 169 of these winners were named a “winner with distinction”.

Seniors Akul Mittal and Hans Hesse received recognition from YoungArts in the photography and design categories, respectively. 

Mittal, a photography winner, sees his success as the culmination of over five years of hard work. His interest in the subject began in middle school, but photography soon blossomed into a much larger passion.

“I’ve been in photography ever since I was in seventh grade,” Mittal said. “I started taking photos in my backyard because I had nothing better to do, and I tried to find creative ideas in the ordinary.”

However, Mittal’s passion truly took off during his sophomore and junior years. He found the conceptual aspect of advanced photography classes much more enjoyable than the technical aspects of his earlier forays into photography.

“I started leaning into why photography matters to me,” Mittal said. “For me, photography’s a tool to explore social change, and that’s what I explored in my YoungArts portfolio.”

Mittal’s “Caught Between Two Worlds” portfolio explored his experience in the suburban areas of America. He chose to focus primarily on the roles that the Indian diaspora holds in American society today.

“My artist statement was about exploring the cost of the American dream in a modern context,” Mittal said. “As immigrants moved into America, they had their value systems and morals, which changed what they wanted for their kids.”

Many of his photos depict scenes of the Indian diaspora transforming their world into something truly unique.

“One of my photos shows an Indian grocery store owner who created his vibrant market in the back of his store,” Mittal said. “He sells Indian products with flowers everywhere and all sorts of Indian decorations, and through his expression, what he’s wearing, and his environment I tell a story.”

He attributes a portion of his work to the St. Mark’s photography program — the school, after all, was the catalyst for his pursuits in the subject. The second half of junior year was essentially a time for him to come up with ideas for his portfolio.

“If you continue to explore (your ideas) over the summer and during the fall, you can create something even better and submit that to YoungArts,” Mittal said. “That’s exactly what I did.”

Photography will always be Mittal’s passion, and he sees himself taking even more photos and possibly pursuing a degree in photography in the future.

“I want to use (my photos) to continue documenting social change and nonprofits and just everyday life,” Mittal said.