Singapore Instagram photographer Daryl Aiden Yow apologised in June 2018 after news site Mothership revealed that many of his acclaimed images were edited stock photos, some used in a paid Sony camera campaign. The scandal, covered by the BBC, sparked the viral #darylaidenchallenge meme.
Acting on a tip-off, local news site Mothership published an exposé on June 20 documenting 21 examples of plagiarised images, complete with side-by-side comparisons to the originals sourced from sites such as Shutterstock, CanStockPhoto, Unsplash, Pinterest and Reddit. In 10 of the examples, Yow had digitally inserted himself into the scene. Many carried captions implying authorship, such as remarks about hours spent waiting for the perfect shot.
Particularly damaging was the revelation that images Yow had claimed were taken with a Sony camera, as part of his role in Sony's #SonyCreativeAlly marketing campaign for its mirrorless cameras, were actually the work of other photographers. Sony said it was surprised and disappointed and was looking into the matter. Yow's brand collaborations had also included Oppo and Uniqlo.
Yow initially defended himself, claiming image rights had been purchased and that commercial clients knew stock images were used. But as condemnation poured in from the local photography community and fellow influencers including Xiaxue and MrBrown, he reversed course. On June 21 he deleted all 1,165 posts from his Instagram feed, leaving only a public apology in which he admitted he was wrong to claim stock images and other people's work as his own and to use false captions that misled his followers.
The story was picked up by the BBC and international media. It also spawned the #darylaidenchallenge, a viral meme in which netizens, brands and influencers including Scoot, F&N Seasons, Shopee and Preeti Nair parodied the scandal by cheekily photoshopping themselves into stock images.
After a three-month hiatus, Yow resurfaced on September 13, 2018, with an image of prints of the plagiarised photos being burned, captioned with a message about learning from mistakes. He rebranded himself as a Photoshop Specialist, openly showing behind-the-scenes footage of his editing process. He later set up an online bakery, Absolutely Batter, in 2021, and collaborated with electricity retailer Geneco on a mental wellness photography campaign, speaking about the toll the public backlash had taken on his mental health.
The episode prompted wider debate about disclosure standards for sponsored influencer content in Singapore.
Sony told Mothership it was surprised and disappointed by the reports and was looking into the matter, adding that it did not condone plagiarism. Uniqlo, another of Yow's brand partners, declined to comment on whether it had known stock images were used.
The BBC's coverage carried the story worldwide, and the #darylaidenchallenge parody wave drew in brands such as Scoot, F&N Seasons and Shopee alongside influencers like Xiaxue and Preeti Nair. After his September 2018 comeback, Yow kept a lower profile, launching the online bakery Absolutely Batter in 2021 before returning to the spotlight with the Geneco mental-wellness campaign.