Meet Yuly Martinez of Azy Foley Photography

Today we’d like to introduce you to Yuly Martinez.

Hi Yuly, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am well known as Azy Foley in the photography world. You can find my latest work on my website: www.azyfoleyphotography.com. I grew up in Caracas, Venezuela where I obtained a law degree and an MBA, but my first love was always the arts. For years, I tried to combine my love of the arts with my business background by becoming the office manager and later on the Controller for one of the most famous fashion designers in Venezuela and eventually overseeing the company finances in his New York office.

Like many parents, after I had my first child, I took lots of pictures. But the photos I took became a sensation, and other parents started asking me to take their kid’s photos with my point shot rebel camera ( I still have my first camera ). By the time my second child was born, I wanted to be closer to home and not commute to Manhattan. So I started a catering business to grow at home while I was still working as a financial Controller in NYC. After about a year, I realized that what I really loved was not the cooking but taking photos of the food. So, I created Fashionable Delights, focused on taking beautiful food photos of healthy recipes. Within a few months, I had over 10K followers on social media and internship requests starting to come along, but I was still a mom, a financial controller, and had bills to pay. So, I looked toward expanding my photography business with the fashion shows I was involved with at work and my photos were soon published in Women Wear Daily and at that moment is when I realized I had it on me and decided to open Azy Foley Photography specializing in Commercial Photography.

After working 17 years for the fashion house in NYC, the company was moving its operations to Florida. I began working for a local newspaper close to home in their accounting department and freelancing as one of their photo-journalists.

More changes were in store. I was getting divorced and I knew I wanted a drastic lifestyle change. Despite it being the middle of the pandemic, I decided to move my family and my photography home base from New York to South Durham, North Carolina.

While I still work remotely for the paper, my photography business has been booming. Every weekend I have up to three photoshoots per day and even though it is hard work, I am walking around with a grateful heart.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, it has not. I came alone to this country and had to learn a new language and culture. Even though I have a law degree and an MBA, I had to take low-paying jobs to make ends meet. I went through a divorce after many years of marriage. I had to find out what I loved best, and what was my passion, and what I was truly talented at…which brought me to photography.

However, looking back I always say to myself it could have been worse. It could have been harder. I believe that for anyone to be a great manager, business owner and to make the right decisions, they need to learn how to listen, follow directions, analyze situations and figure the pros and cons. Get educated, master the art of sales and customer service. I am confident that every experience I went through in the last 25 years living in the United States has given me that.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Azy Foley Photography?
My business and career as a professional photographer: My theory is that we must excel in everything we do. In a typical shoot, I focus on establishing a clear understanding with my customers to know what they are expecting from the photos and during the shoot. Second, I love to tell them jokes because it helps people to relax and because photoshoots should be a fun and memorable experience.

Along the way, I include them in the process by sharing some initial shots so they see the details, what I am trying to pursue and the quality of the work. This makes them feel more comfortable and confident in the process.

I also make sure we establish a timeline so I can deliver as promised and exceed their expectations. My aim is always to delight my customers not only with the photos but with the entire experience of working with me. Much of my business is via repeat customers and referrals.

Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Learning something new everyday is super important in any type of job from a mentor or by yourself. It gives you the sense of accomplishment and confidence. In my case, I wake up early to invest time in expanding my photography skills, knowledge and expertise. In the early stages of my photography career, I talked to as many people in different businesses as possible and as many professional photographers as I could find so I could learn from their advice and experience.

When I moved to North Carolina, I didn’t know anyone except for my niece. I started working with a freelance photography agency in January of 2020. They were searching for freelance photographers in my area and as soon as they saw my photography – work they reached out right away. Once I told them I was moving to the triangle area “Raleigh-Durham- Chapel Hill” jobs started pouring in. Restaurant owners started referring my services to friends and I started to get calls from different types of commercial photography customers. At the moment, I am covering Restaurants. I photograph the staff and their food to update their menus and online delivery sites. Real estate (Home and commercial) and the latest addition is automotive and auctioneers.

In addition to this type of commercial work, I also specialize in natural portraits, babies and children, as well as wedding couples. What makes me unique and my work so popular is that I am gifted with a really good eye for details. I can see not only the composition of the subject but show its essence. So whether it is food, products or people, everything looks alive through my lens and that is what gives me joy.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.azyfoleyphotography.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azyfoley/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/azyfoleyphotography/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/AZYFOLEY_

Image Credits

@Abby Foley