Welcome to the Wild Arena website! We hope you will find everything you need to know about our activities and the facilities we offer at our amazing Highland base of Forsinard Lodge in Sutherland. Wild Arena offers a wide range of photography based workshops, training sessions and on-line courses. Beyond the activates they currently organise at Forsinard Lodge, we also provide a wide variety of events around the UK. These sessions are built upon the teams’ wealth of experience, and we aim to deliver our guests with friendly, inclusive and professional experiences.
Photography Workshops
Macro Photography Workshop
Here at Wild Arena we have long been involved in Macro photography and we have built up a wealth of knowledge in this area with regards to the photography and the subjects. Working with our good friends at Wilkinson Cameras and Animal Teach, we're really pleased to be able to offer an informative day in a well set up studio with fantastic subjects.
Bird Photography Workshop
Birds of prey have always been a favourite with photographers and can be a very challenging subject to photograph, especially in flight. On this session we aim to cover the best use of equipment to get captivating shots of the Birds in natural settings.
Analogue Photography Workshop - Shooting with 35mm Film, Glasgow
The day is really all about getting a great start in the process of shooting film images using traditional 35mm film SLR cameras. After a welcome tea and coffee your tutor will run through an introductory briefing covering the basics we think you will need to know to get a confident start in shooting film.
Forsinard Lodge is now the wonderful and picturesque headquarters for Wild Arena. This large, traditional hunting lodge was constructed in 1870 as part of the then, Duke of Sutherland Estate. Situated in the tiny hamlet of Forsinard at the head of the Halladale River it has proved to be a perfect position for sporting pursuits in the Highlands for over 100 years. It now serves as a fantastic base for the exploration of this wild and relatively undiscovered part of the Highlands. Surrounded by thousands of acres of wild landscape and adjoining the RSPB’s largest nature reserve, there should be plenty Highland wilderness to ‘sooth the soul’ of all our visitors!
Forsinard Lodge
Summer Bird and Macro Photography Week
06.05.23 to 12.05.23 From April, migratory birds should start reappearing on our shores, heralding the start of a new breeding year. This makes summer in the highlands the perfect time to visit our wonderful northern location and make the most of our natural summer visitors.
Autumn Highland Nature and Wildlife Photography Week
9th to 15th September 2023 Every season can be wonderful in the remote and beautiful Scottish Highlands, but autumn has a special charm and character. With autumn colours, shortening days and cooler weather, the landscape is especially rich in photographic potential.
Scottish Winter Skies, Landscape and Wildlife Photography Week
9th to 15th December 2023 this trip is designed to photographically make the most of a beautiful and relatively un-discovered part of the Northern Scottish Highlands, specifically in the dramatic months of Winter
If you really want to focus on your photography and get away from the stresses of normal life, then we offer a wide range of photography based short breaks and tours. Obviously, we love the amazing Scottish Highlands, where we are based, and there are lots of options for visits here. However, beyond this we also provide exclusive, small group expeditions to other great locations around the world, all based on our experience and contacts in these extraordinary locations.
Photography Tours
Scottish Winter Wildlife With Neil McIntyre
10th to 16th February 2024 - The Cairngorm Mountain region of the Scottish highlands is one of the most beautiful areas in the UK to see and photograph wildlife. Our ‘Scottish Winter Wildlife’ tour aims to offer a range of opportunities with iconic species of the area, included Red Squirrel, Crested Tit, Mountain Hare, Golden Eagle, Grouse and Red Deer. These wonderful subjects are often easier to locate and are looking their best in the breath taking winter landscape.
Brown Bears Spring Awakening
25th to 29th April 2023 - The Eastern border of Finland with Russia is home to the magnificent European Brown Bear. This normally shy and reclusive mammal, comparable in size to the Grizzly, roams through these beautiful forests in the search for food. It is to this quiet corner of Finland that our tour will take you in search of these magnificent mammals. 2023 will be Wild Arena’s 19th year at this amazing site and we regard it as one of Europe’s true wildlife highlights.
Winter Pelicans, Greece
2nd to 6th February 2024 - The majestic Dalmatian Pelicans of lake Kerkini in northern Greece have become an iconic subject within European bird species. These large and impressive water birds have all the characteristics of a great photographic subject being both visually impressive and highly tolerant to being approached. The local fisherman on the lake, have a long history of working alongside the birds, and this provides superb opportunities for images at very close quarters. Our ‘Winter Pelican’ trips offer the chance for expert guided access in small and friendly
If you're looking for a special gift for the photographer in your life try some of these ideas.
Gift Ideas
£50 Gift Voucher
£50 gift voucher, this voucher will be valid for one year from the date of purchase, alternatively please let us
Annual Membership
By becoming a member of Wild Arena, you not only get a number of great benefits but also become part
Why Choose us?
Trustworthy
We’ve been running events since 2003, so we are a well-established long-standing business. We have worked hard over the years to build industry and wildlife partners, and the trust they have in us means we can deliver quality, well run events.
Knowledgeable Tutors
All of our guides have a love of photography and have been involved in this industry for many years. But more importantly they care about our guest’s photography and passing on their knowledgeable to help them grow in confidence and ability. We regularly call on our industry partners to update us on the technology and keep our information right up to date.
Guest Focused
Without you, our guests, we wouldn’t still be here. We’ve learnt over the years what works well and what our guests expect from us. So, we strive to deliver great workshops, that run smoothly on the surface, but deliver the best opportunities available on the day. Above all else we understand the need for small group sizes and individual attention allowing our guests to really get the best out of the event.
Professional
We pride ourselves on always trying to do things in the right way and our business reflects this. We have full public liability for our events, we are a registered business backed up by the FSB and our animal collection is licensed under our Animal Welfare License 19/00498. So, you can be assured you are always in safe hands.
Environmentally Aware
We are passionate about nature and wildlife, it’s the core of what we photograph, and we appreciate it. We aim to be ethical in our approach to wildlife and compassionate in how we work, carbon offsetting, recycling and sourcing responsibly.
COVID-19 Compliant
We have redesigned our studio space and our vehicles to make them COVID-19 compliant, if an event is on hold we can’t yet run it, but if its marked compliant we are good to go and you should be able to find dates on the relevant experience. For more details on our COVID-19 policy and latest updates go to our FAQ’s page at the bottom of the site.
Latest Post
Species seen around the Forsinard Area, January 2023
As we settle into our new surroundings, we have been noting down month by month the species that we are seeing in and around the
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Event Reviews
Carole McD
Summer Bird and Macro Photography Week
A week at Forsinard, the new hidden gem on my photography calendar. Janet and David have magically blended their passion for photography and in-depth local knowledge with the area’s stunning settings and abundance wildlife. Add in Adrienne’s delicious homemade meals, the delight of the old lodge and what is not to love. The group sizes are deliberately small making for an intimate learning environment, I can honestly say I feel totally recharged, reconnect to my photography and cannot wait to go back.
Margaret
Scottish Winter Skies, Landscape and Wildlife Photography Week
I recently spent a wonderful week in the Highlands of Scotland courtesy of Wild Arena Wilderness Photography. They are located at Forsinard in Sutherland. As a novice photographer I was a little apprehensive about coping with all the opportunities which I felt would present themselves but I need not have worried. Over the course of the week I was given unrelenting technical support and encouragement from David Southard who is a very experienced photographer and educator. My confidence soared and by the end of my immersive photographic experience I came away, a much more competent photographer. From stunning seascapes to
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