Today we’d like to introduce you to Yuly Foley.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Photography started very naturally for me. I was taking photos of my children, then friends started asking me to photograph theirs, and somehow that little hobby kept opening doors.
When VoyageRaleigh first interviewed me in 2021, I was still rebuilding my life and business after moving to North Carolina. Five years later, so much has changed.
Today, I work mostly with restaurants, hospitality, and businesses, and I absolutely love it. Every shoot gives me a new face, a new story, and something different to create.
I always say I don’t just photograph what something looks like — I want people to feel it. If someone sees one of my restaurant photos and says, “Wow, now I’m hungry. When are we going there?” I know I did my job.
The journey has been full of surprises, hard work, and some amazing people. And somehow, I still get excited every time I pick up my camera.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely not a smooth road — but I think that is what makes the journey interesting.
One of my biggest challenges has been learning how to reinvent myself over and over again. Photography is the fun part. Running a business means constantly learning marketing, video, social media, new technology, finding clients, and figuring out what comes next.
There have been moments when work was nonstop and others when I wondered where the next job was coming from. That teaches you very quickly to be creative, flexible, and most importantly, not give up.
I have learned that sometimes the opportunity you are waiting for doesn’t come knocking — you have to go out and create it yourself.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Today, I specialize mostly in commercial photography, especially restaurants, hospitality, corporate events and branding.
What I love most is telling the whole story. I don’t just photograph the food or the room. I look for the owner, the people behind the scenes, the little details, the energy and the moments that make a business feel alive.
I think what sets me apart is the connection I create with people. Most of my clients tell me at the end, “That was actually fun!” and that means a lot to me.
I am proud when my images do more than look beautiful — when they make someone hungry, curious, excited, or ready to walk through that business’s door.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
This has been a very solo journey for me. I never really had a mentor or a team behind the business — I learned by doing, making mistakes, researching, practicing, and figuring things out along the way.
But I absolutely give credit to the clients who trusted me, especially the ones who hired me again, referred me to someone else, or gave me an opportunity before I had all the experience I have today.
Every person who said, “Come photograph this,” opened another door for me. And many of those clients became friends.
So while I built the business mostly on my own, I definitely did not get here without people believing in my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.azyfoleyphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azyfoley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azyfoleyphotography/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yuly-martinez/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@azyfoleyphotography
