As the summit enters its 2nd week the Environmental Investigation Agency (US) and Global Witness have released their finalised report on Investigation Into the Global Trade in Malagasy Precious Woods. It can be downloaded HERE. This document now includes critical evidence showing trade flows to China, Europe and the US as well as the conditions in Madagascar and their solution based recommendations.

The press release has already caused some waves in international media including the front page of BBC.co.uk today. Article by Richard Black is HERE.

It’s been a busy week centered around one of the biggest and most technically challenging shoots I have ever worked on. To celebrate the launch of Sky 3D, Europe’s first 3D TV Channel, we brought to life on Earth a scene from “The Universe” for photography and video. 8 giant helium balloons, painted like the planets and measuring between 6 and 1m in diameter were suspended over Greenwich Park as a crew of balloon engineers wrestled with the controls in a stiff wind. As per usual, I wish to keep the exact technical process a secret, but it took over 12 Pro-Foto heads at maximum power to freeze the movement of the balloons within a long ambient light exposure for the city background.

The images are again destined for the Getty Wire Service so absolutely zero retouching was applied. The final image was the culmination of over 100 hours work by a team of 17. Huge thanks to Will from Cake, Tim Bowditch my assistant , Pam at Orchard and Direct Lighting for a stadium’s worth of lighting kit.

As part of the Brighton Photo Biennial and the group exhibition ‘IN SITE’ I will be giving an Artist’s Talk alongside Wendy Pye and Ellie Davies. The talk is from 6 – 7:30pm on 21st October at Blue Dog Gallery, 20 Gardener Street
, Brighton 
BN1 1UP. I’ve also finally uploaded the Madagascar multimedia piece I showed at LookBetween festival earlier this year, viewable below:

Madagascar – Bois de Rose from Toby Smith on Vimeo.

September has been an incredible month. I had some very productive meetings in Hong Kong planning a major project in China. I also spent 3 days photographing the city of Yangzhou, south of Shanghai, before flying direct to an assignment in New Mexico for the Telegraph. Details of which will follow soon. Now back on solid ground I would encourage you check out the following exhibition showing during The Brighton Photo Biennial and the is part of the Fringe. The Private View is opening soon with an artists talk on the 18th of October. IN SITE,  featuring the work of photographers Ellie Davies, Wendy Pye and Toby Smith who create their photographic projects within protected sites of outstanding natural beauty and special scientific interest. Using different photographic strategies, each photographer has produced a series of images focusing on their relationship and response to the location and landscape. Toby Smith presents his photo essay/documentary series ‘ Madagascar: Bois de Rose’, in which he exposes illegal logging in Madagascar. Ellie Davies and Wendy Pye respond personally to their respective locations of The New Forest and Beachy Head, using lighting techniques and physical intervention to create a personal response to the landscape.

I post this from Canada 2 days ahead of the opening of “The Renewables Project” in Toronto. The exhibition at Bau-Xi Gallery includes 14 prints and is  a featured exhibition in the Nuit Blanche festival on 2nd October, a mad all night art expo. If Canada is a bit far to travel theprintspace documented the opening in London which you can watch HERE.

I also have a selection of work in a group  show at the sister gallery, Foster/White, in Seattle. The exhibition got a great review in Seattle Post this morning HERE.