Sami Aziz, better known by his Instagram handle @SouthStreetSam, recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of his portrait project, writes Rita Giordano for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
For the past year, Aziz created over 100,000 photographs of the many kinds of people he has met on South Street.
The project has become quite popular, as his Instagram account has attracted about 270,000 followers.
The portraits range from kids going to school, young lovers, business owners, mothers with their babies, city workers, and many more.
All in all, the project became Aziz’s love letter to the street that nurtured his immigrant family several years ago.
The project officially came to an end on Wednesday, September 24. A number of community events took place to celebrate the conclusion of the project, including a street cleanup, a meet and greet, and an after-party.
As a long time South Street resident, Aziz is glad to see that despite the changes, the neighborhood has maintained its quirky, eclectic, free-spirited nature.
“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,” Aziz said.
Read more about the photographer behind the portrait project in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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