Takuya Morihisa, a nature photographer living in Japan, spoke to us about his experiences with the Copytrack system after winning several cases. His speciality is in aquatic animals and organisms. Many of his photographs are provided to guide books.
Hi Takuya Morihisa, it’s a great honor for us to interview you today and we’re happy you’ve found some time for us.
First of all, could you tell our readers, how you got into photography ?
When I was in high school, my uncle, who was a photographer, gave me a camera and I started taking pictures.
Your speciality is in aquatic organisms - how did you decide on making this your profession ?
I have a favorite illustrated fish book that I read until it was in tatters in high school. I was fortunate enough to become acquainted with the author when I was in college and he gave me some guidance on photography. I was inspired to make a career out of it after selling my photos in an illustrated fish book published by my mentor. I take scientific photos at work, but recently I've been taking photos using UV as a light source. This is a new challenge that incorporates my main interest in the natural sciences and the artistry that goes with it.
How did you become aware of Copytrack's service ?
I found Copytrack after I saw a tweet on Twitter about this amazing service.
When was the first time you found a copyright infringement of your work ?
I don't remember it clearly, but I think it was around 2014. It was an email from a friend who informed me that my photo was being used without permission.
How do you find working with our system ?
I don't mean to be rude, but I had an image that this kind of service looks good only on the surface, and when you start to use it, they charge you money. However, when you use Copytrack, the author doesn't have to go through any hassle, and Copytrack will take care of the whole process for you. I was thrilled to find a great partner who was willing to help me with the things that had been bothering me so much in the past at no risk to me. Also what I find great about Copytrack is that the staff who processed each case and the staff who wrote the comments are visible. Although the process of collecting license fees for each case proceeds automatically, I feel a sense of trust as a partner because we can see how and who is involved in the process.
More about Takuya Morihisa:
Born in Hiroshima Prefecture in 1979. After graduating from Shimane University, he worked for a research company, as photo studio manager in Toronto, Canada, and as mineral buyer before becoming a freelance photographer. He specializes in aquatic organisms. He is a member of Society of scientific photography (SSP).
