Photo contest row: Nikon apologises over faked plane

Nikon has been forced to apologise after the winning entry in an amateur photography contest was revealed to be fake.

Photographer Chay Yu Wei, from Singapore, won the monthly contest with a perfectly composed photo of a plane flying above a building. The image was titled: "Look Up".

"Yu Wei chanced upon a set of ladders while on a photo walk with his friends in Chinatown, and thought the view would make an interesting perspective. Little did he expect to catch an airplane in mid-air," said the camera company, announcing the win on its Facebook page.

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However, photographers quickly pointed out that the image had clearly been doctored. By opening the image in Photoshop and tweaking the levels, they were able to prove the plane had been pasted in.

"It's so immensely clear that this photo isn't real," said one Instagram user. "It's unfair to the numerous other people enduring devastating conditions for a photo, whilst you sit there in the comfort of your bedroom photoshopping."

The row deepened when it emerged a similar image had been published a year ago by photographer Lee Yik Keat.

He told the BBC that he admitted the image had been edited at the time.

"I think this kind of editing is fine as long as it is declared, sometimes creative edits can spark other people's imagination so it can be useful," he said.

Nikon has since issued two separate apologies on social media, vowing not to "compromise standards" in the future.

"We have made an honest mistake and the rousing response from the community today is a reminder to us that the true spirit of photography is very much alive," it said.