Cede Prudente, a great Bird-Photographer in Malaysian Borneo

Cede Prudente is an excellent reference of first class Bird-Photography in Malaysian Borneo and he shares a bit of his history and fantastic work with us at BirdingBlogs

I visited Sabah, Malaysian Borneo in a birding expedition back in 2010 with my friends Mario and Roxanne and quickly got in-loved with such a majestic paradise of raw nature and even when photography wasn’t that easy, came home with many gigabits of cool wildlife… with some amazing birds accounted

Rhinocerous Hornbill by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Cede Prudente, it’s the owner of North Borneo Safari and we had the great pleasure of enjoying his company, relaxed ways and vast experience in the world of photography during some of our boat expeditions in the Kinabatangan River.
Cede also owns -and runs- a friendly and well served lodge at the edge of the lower river, called Sukau Barefoot Lodge where his guides and boat captains have simply impressive eyes mixed with loads of knowledge

North Borneo Safari by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

I recently had a nice chat with Cede and here is some of what he says regarding his passion for nature and its photography in Malaysian Borneo

How did you get started in the field of photography?
– It was in the early 90’s when I purchased my first Nikon FM2 SLR and 80mm-20mm lens. At work as a naturalist guide in my daily ‘tour of duty’, I often had the great opportunities to observe wildlife’s behavior, particularly the bizarre Proboscis Monkeys and the Orang Utans. Following the day by day events in the rainforest it’s an interesting experience; it can showcase the various moods of nature. So, the combination of my first camera equipment and the beautiful surroundings in my corner of -nature- heaven, produced great results. This became an inspiration for me to pursue wildlife photography and obtain stunning images, having bird-photography as a favorite.

Danum Valley by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Where do you get your inspiration from?
– I’m deeply inspired everyday by the Natural History of Borneo….
Borneo’s wildlife is secretive and mysterious; little is known about many of our species. We have recorded 46 endemic birds and almost 90 percent of our mammals are nocturnal, making searching for them in day-light real hard work… once spotted, the challenge is capturing them at the right moment and trying to get that perfect shot. Although, I believe there will never be a perfect shot!
Malaysia and Borneo’s natural heritage is so diverse that there are enormous opportunities to a great photography.

Bornean Pygmy Elephant by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

What camera and lens do you use?
– I’m a Nikon shooter. In my bag, I have three DSLR bodies:  D3s, D7000, D700 and a series of lenses: Nikkor 14-24mm, Nikkor 24-70mm, Nikkor 70-200mm and my “workhorse”, the Nikkor 500mm lens, which is special for birds. The newer DSLR bodies offer video capture capabilities that adds a dimension to this we love

Black-and-Yellow Broadbill by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Sabah's Ground Action by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

What would you like to say to our birdingblogs friends reading this?
– Come and enjoy a photographic journey to Sabah and showcase its Great Wonders!
Passion in your photography it’s very important, the love of what you do, translates to a magnificent piece of art… so, if you love nature for real, understanding wildlife’s behavior and being out there in the field to capture the moment it’s the way to go and win. You’ve got to be there! It’s all about documenting the existence of our natural environment and living to tell the stories. With strong, beautiful images, we can create greater awareness to safeguarding and appreciating the wonders of Mother Nature. The last thing we need is the loss of another species from this planet. Wildlife photographers can play a big role in delaying the disappearance of these species. We are ambassadors for all wildlife… so, come to one of the wildest corners of the planet and get those killer frames!

Whitehead's Trogon by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Cede is also a vital key for some of the most distinctive and educative activities of Sabah as the Bird Festival and the Bird Race and has been published in many occasions, including a few personal books.

Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

If you are aiming to photograph wildlife and -specially- birds in Malaysian Borneo, this is the best contact and example you can get… a simple, knowledgeable and kind man of the river jungles

Bird-Photo in Malay Borneo by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Here, some more of Cede’s delightful images:

Black-and-Crimson Pitta by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Blue-eared Kingfisher by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Bornean Bristlehead by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Buffy Fish-Owl by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Banded Broadbill by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Crested Hornbill by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Some useful links:

https://www.cedeprudente.com/gallery/

https://www.forest.sabah.gov.my/rdc/

https://cedeprudente.blogspot.com/

https://www.northborneosafari.com/

https://www.barefootsukau.com/index.cfm

Thanks Cede and Carol (his lovely wife) for all your kind manner and attention when I was there, I hope I can pay some back when you visit Thailand… sometime… I also wish to thank sincerely our awesome guide: Dennis Ikon, who stayed with us all the time, making this trip -with his funny feeling and indisputable skills- a plain success.
I hope to see you all again real soon!

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch by Cede Prudente, Malaysian Borneo

Happy Bird-Photo Adventures