Philadelphia photographer known as South Street Sam celebrates 1 year of street portraits
Philadelphia's South Street is known for its unique edge and has a reputation as a melting pot of diversity. For the past year, photographer Sami Aziz has been a fixture in its daily lineup of beautiful people.
"Today is my one-year anniversary," said Aziz, known as @SouthStreetSam on Instagram, on Tuesday.
Aziz calls South Street home, and for the past 365 days, he's used his camera to take portraits of the people who walk the iconic street.
"I love what I do and to be able to capture South Street in a really unique way; I am incredibly humbled," Aziz said.
In the year since beginning his street portrait project, Aziz's social media has grown exponentially. He has 247,000 followers on Instagram and his reels have captured the eyes of nearly 60 million people.
"This is where my heart is, and I feel like I've really come into my own as an artist and a photographer," Aziz said. "I have made these really meaningful friendships and shared all of these memories."
Aziz's roots began on South Street before he ever picked up a camera. His parents met on the iconic street when his mother was a student at Temple University and working at South Street Souvlaki.
"I'm really so proud of him," Aziz's mother said from Morocco, where she lives now. "It feels really good that he's doing what he likes."