RSGS Inspiring People Talk: Raymond Besant: Eye to Eye with Lions and Wolves

Raymond Besant is coming to the University of Edinburgh on Thursday 14 January 2027 for an RSGS Inspiring People talk. He's an Orcadian wildlife cameraman, photographer and guide who's spent a good part of his career filming in some of the remotest corners of the planet, and the talk is titled Eye to Eye with Lions and Wolves.

Besant will be sharing his experiences from behind the lens, with the title giving away the highlights: encounters with wolves and lions. It's the kind of thing that sounds like a nature documentary in the making, and he'll be talking through what it's actually like to get that close to animals that most of us only ever see on a screen. He'll be drawing on his work as a guide and cameraman, so it's as much about the process of getting the shot as it is about the animals themselves.

There's a local angle to it too. Alongside the stories from further afield, he'll be talking about the particular challenges of filming wildlife right here in Scotland. It's a different kind of difficulty from the remote corners of the world he's known for, and hearing how that compares should be one of the more interesting parts of the night.

The talk starts at 19:30 at the University of Edinburgh, Old College, South Bridge, Edinburgh EH8 9YL. Entry is free, but you'll need to book your tickets in advance through rsgs.org.