The Full Story

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Sami Aziz, better known as South Street Sam, has been a passionate photographer for nearly 20 years. From his schooldays photographing classmates for the yearbook to capturing NCAA sports while at Columbia University, Sam has always been drawn to working with people.

His focus on portraits specifically was inspired by 'Humans of New York' photographer, Brandon Stanton. Seeing the power a portrait had in illuminating an individual's story, and with a base-level comfort in speaking to strangers, Sam began his own forays into street portraiture through traveling.

Ultimately returning to settle in his hometown, in 2023 he started his now viral Instagram page @southstreetsam — and quickly became a household name in the city. The premise of his project was relatively simple: every single day, for a full year, he took portraits of people on the iconic South Street in Philly.

To date, his videos have amassed some 75 million views, and he has photographed over 100,000 people between his travels and year of portraits on South Street. Contact him today for marketing inquires or to book a portrait session. Engagements, families, headshots, lifestyle, and events are welcome.