Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Edward Muñoz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Edward, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?

I was the first born to a family of twelve children. My parents may have done some things wrong, but they also did a lot of things right. They always stressed the importance of education. They also by way of role modeling, taught us to be self-sufficient. There was no calling a repairman or maid, we, as taught by both parents, cleaned our own space, laundered our clothes, we even fixed whatever problems we had with the house or appliances. My Dad, among other things had a TV and appliance repair shop. We learned a lot just standing next to him. We also learned that when we hit a snag, it was not only OK to ask for help, but we were encouraged to do so. Many is the time I saw my Dad call one of his friends over for advice on a repair job .
But the one right thing that really stayed with me was my Dad’s practice of dedicating an afternoon or evening for each one of the twelve of us. In that assigned time, we had Dad all to ourselves. We usually left the house and went for a walk, or for a hamburger, or on special occasions to the movies. It was his way of making sure that the stress of dealing with a large family on a tight budget, did not hinder or prevent each one of us having quality time with him. That feeling of being special for the one evening carried me through the whole week.
Later in my career it was the basis for my firm belief that dealing with employees, colleagues, or customers meant that you had to get to know them. One has to understand what is important to people in order to add value to their lives.

That is simple to say, sometimes hard to do. But you have to put in the dedicated time. Just like my Dad did with us.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

What I do now is a second career. The first was a career in Engineering and manufacturing management. I traveled all over the world and lived in several countries as an e-pat. During those travels I always marveled at the beauty in our planet, and the diversity of species, including Humans.

When I retired, I took up photography as a hobby. I wanted to excel at my hobby just as I had strived to do with my career. I was not starting from a zero base. As a teenager I had worked in my father’s repair shop and drugstore. One of the services we offered was film development. My Dad taught me how to work the dark room and develop rolls of film the customers brought in. At home, I would often go to the library to do my homework. a much quieter alternative than our house with all my siblings. And while at the library I discovered the National Geographic magazine. What pictures! Those pictures fueled my desire to travel and to take pictures myself.
During my career I got to visit places like the wall of China, the tea houses of Kyoto Japan, The windmills of Holland, the lush forests of Malaysia, the bazars of Istanbul, and many other wonders of the world.
However, my time was primarily dedicated to business. I had scant time for touring and picture taking.
But I promised myself I would return someday.

While I have not returned to all of these places, I have been to many new ones. And the photography I enjoyed has been at first a hobby and now morphing into a business.

I provide clients with photographic pieces of places they have visited put were not able to take quality pictures.

I provide clients with photographic pieces of nature and wildlife that they have seen, but again, had no quality photo representation of the landscape or the wildlife.

I do not do weddings or sit portraiture.

I am a travel, nature and wildlife photographer.

My goal is not to make a lot of money at this endeavor, but rather to try to leave a body of work that inspires people to protect and preserve our planet and all beauty in it.

To have my work document the beauty we have had and are at risk of losing. I also hope that my images touch people’s soul and spirit. That they feel peace and tranquility as they view my work., and of course the occasional excitement that wildlife can create.

My website and Instagram feature the logo and brand name I have chosen.
That being: Eds Blue Dot Photography. This comes from my reading a lot of Carl Sagen and remembering he once wrote that in our vast universe, even when you only take a small portion of it, like our solar system, our home, our planet, is seen as an insignificant, pale blue dot.

I think he is right in some ways, but I don’t think we are insignificant. My aim is to reflect back all the beauty that is in that pale blue dot so we can take a moment to enjoy it and be thankful.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

NFTs are a mystery to me and to many others. However, I believe it is an approach to managing the exchange of unique assets, such as Art for more fungible assets such as money. And this can indeed generate value and wealth for those in a position to take advantage of it. The complications arise from the technologies used to document and transmit the data that represents the asset.
These new systems can be cumbersome and leave a lot of room for the unscrupulous to scam and otherwise unethically manipulate the system.
It can also have some serious negative non-intended consequences. For example, it might lead to the restriction of sharing Art with the public. If Art is quickly captured and owned by those who just want to horde and not share, we will all loose.
I guess no one knows at this point.
It is a sword with many edges.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I retired my intention was to have photography as a hobby and take it easy and play golf and do some traveling.

I have been traveling, but I have not taken that easy, carefree path retirement is supposed to be.

As I took more pictures, and as I took classes on how to improve my technique and got tutored by professionals that knew how to teach, my wife and family kept coaxing me to do more sharing of my images.

Although I had positions of leadership in my previous career, by nature, I am a shy and private person. But I came to a point where I had to pivot. I had to commit one way or another to expand and become a “professional” or take the more relaxed path, the one of least resistance.
I know that one of my fears was that people would not like or appreciate my work. Ahh, the fear of rejection! How I admire those who have no such fear, like my dear wife.
But with her help and that of other artists I came to realize that the only person I had to please was myself.
I am still sensitive, mind you, to criticism. One example in particularly is when I have tried to expand my digital editing to achieve what I call digital art.
Without fail, one of my family members will say, oh that looks fake. And with the next breath look at someone else’s digital manipulation and say, wow that is amazing.

It has inspired me however to go outside my comfort levels, to create outside the box. I feel that I am just starting that process.

But I continue to pivot.

Contact Info:

• Website: edsbluedot.com
• Instagram: edwardmunozphotogaphy
• Facebook: ehmunoz@msn.com
• Linkedin: ehmunoz@msn.com
• Twitter: ehmunoz@msn.com