As one year of his portrait project comes to a close, South Street Sam reflects on seeing the light in everyone

The year of South Street Sam is almost at a close.

Every day without fail for the past year, Sami Aziz — better known by his Instagram handle @SouthStreetSam — has been out on this most eclectic Philly street, ultimately creating over 100,000 photographs of the many different kinds of people he has met there.

Hardly anyone turned down the polite, 29-year-old photographer, and becoming one of his humans of South Street was a highlight for many of its diverse visitors.

And Aziz’s project became very popular. His Instagram account attracted about 270,000 followers, and his videos got close to 60 million views. With images of little kids going to school, young lovers, business owners, moms and babies, punk rockers, city workers, and more, the project became his love letter to the street that nurtured his immigrant family many years ago.

But while the project will end on Sept. 24, a full year after Aziz began it, it won’t go out without a party. Aziz is marking the conclusion with a number of community events including a street cleanup with @_yafavtrashman from 4 to 5 p.m. at Fifth and South Streets, a meet and greet at the Status shop from 5 to 7 p.m., and a celebration/after-party at the Queen & Rook Game Cafe from 7 to 9:30 p.m. All are invited.

Here, Aziz shares some of his thoughts on what he saw and learned, and what comes next for South Street Sam.

I feel like South Street is coming back, and to be part of that is really incredible. At the same time, I don’t think South Street ever really left. There have certainly been some changes, like the reopening of Jim’s Steaks and a few new businesses. But for the most part, the quirky, eclectic, free-spirited nature of the neighborhood remains intact

If I’m being honest, the main change I’ve actually noticed is now I can’t walk a block on the street without getting recognized by someone, and that really means the world to me — that I’ve been able to build a community with my camera through trying to show the good in people.

I don’t think that a lot of the narratives about South Street before this year were very accurate or fair to begin with. It’s hard to say if my photography project has really made a difference; I’d like to think it has. Nearly 60 million views later, here we are: South Street has always been a fun, safe, cool spot to hang out in Philly. A few exceptions never changed that vibe.

Being able to honor my family’s roots on South Street gives me an incredible sense of pride. I speak to my uncle, Saeed, the original “South Street Sam,” regularly and he watches my videos every day. I also have lunch or dinner at the Greek restaurant where my mother worked, South Street Souvlaki, four, five times a week. While I’m dining in, I’ll sometimes imagine what it must have been like for her as a young woman in her late teens, early 20s trying to serve her way through classes at Temple University.

From conversations with my family, and some of my own early memories, I’d describe the South Street of today as very similar in spirit to the South Street of the late ‘80s, ‘90s, and early 2000s.

To be more specific, it’s a place that comes alive on the weekends, especially by night. While there’s no denying that the area faces challenges such as filling retail vacancies, it’s in my opinion, a broader sign of the times rather than an issue specific to the neighborhood.

I feel like South Street fits into city life the way it always has: a diverse hub of arts, fashion, food, and nightlife, with room to evolve and improve with the right people and policies.

Taking portraits every single day for a year has shown me that people are overwhelmingly good in their hearts. I grew up attending Quaker schools in Philly, and was taught to see the light of God in every person. This is to say, the project demonstrated that concept for me in practice.

Coming into this project, I had already spent about 10 years photographing some 15,000 people around the world. Yet, another valuable lesson reaffirmed for me was that people will often meet you with the energy that you approach them with. As long as you’re being kind, polite, and respectful, this is usually the response you will get in return.

In other words, the sheer amount of human interaction I’ve had on this one street has confirmed what I always knew to be true: everyone has good in them. I’ve been embraced by people of all different ages, races, and backgrounds. We’re all human, and beautiful in our own unique way.

In the last Inquirer piece, you mentioned the short video I did with the little boy who impersonated Spider-Man during his family portrait. His name was Ishmael, and that video is still the most popular on my page. We have since filmed a few follow-up videos with his mother, and were even featured on a WHYY kids show that will air in the summer of 2025.

Aside from Ishmael and his family, I did end up encountering a number of celebrities on South Street like actor Michael Peña and activist Wallace Peeples a.k.a. Wallo 267. I also had a chance to photograph Philly-area rappers such as: Beanie Sigel, Omelly, Lil Uzi, Gillie Da King, OT7 Quanny, Kur, and Skrilla. This culminated in an opportunity to photograph French Montana, a rapper that I share Moroccan ancestry with, when he was in Philly for a concert. I was definitely humbled and starstruck by the opportunity. He signed my Moroccan flag. I was also fortunate enough to photograph Rick Ross and Fabolous in the same two-week span.

Celebrities aside, I truly value all of the genuine interactions I’ve had with the people I’ve photographed on South Street. Families, couples, friends, pets, and more. Many of the images can bring back a fond memory, a few kind words, or simply the spirit of that particular moment.

While I was very focused on just reaching the milestone of one consecutive year, the project grew into a cultural moment. It was always a dream of mine to have my photography get recognized by the public, but also to publish a book and have my own gallery. With the conclusion of my yearlong streak, I will now have the time to put my heart into these mediums.

I noticed the Philadelphia Museum of Art followed me on Instagram recently. Maybe if one of their curators is reading this article, we can begin discussing an exhibition called “A Year on South Street” when I’m back from my travels overseas.

I will be traveling for the month of October. My first stop will be Casablanca, Morocco, to see my parents. Then I will make a stop in London. And to celebrate my 30th birthday on Oct. 23, I will be visiting Baghdad, Iraq, my father’s hometown, for the very first time to meet cousins, aunts, uncles, and pay respects to my grandparents.

As an artist, my goal is to continue evolving and doing important work. While I’ll certainly be back to shoot on South Street, having a chance to travel and take portraits on the other “South Streets” of the world is exciting to me. I will always strive to challenge preconceived notions a general public might have about a place, to humanize subjects, and capture that inner light of people wherever my camera might take me.