Our spotter Hamit announced a Rhinoceros Hornbill 11 0'clock high. I scanned the sky, spotted the high flying icon and immediately raised my 400mm lens to get focus. Before my finger had touched the shutter Cede Prudnte had already fired off 22 raw frames in less than 2 seconds. It sounded like a gattling gun. That decided it; don't get into an OK Corral type shoot-out with Cede. You'd have eleven bullets in your mid-riff before your gun left the holster.
Ced Prudente is Malaysia's No 1 Wildlife photographer. He's been an ardent long-term campaigner for the presevation of the Borneo wilderness areas. He's guided National Geographic, Richard Attenborough and numerous film crews. He's also the author of more than half a dozen books on Borneo wildlife.
Cede understands his subject intimately. He knows the calls of every bird, he reads the body language of the animals. He knows when they're calm, upset, about to move, about to settle. He knows the times of day when they will be active. He knows the times of year when they look at their best. Most importantly he respects each and every creature and the environment in which he lives and photographs. He strives to influence government, decision makers and the public with his stunning images.
I learned more about shooting wildlife spending five days in the jungle with Cede than the rest of my life. Cede's main tips:
Buy the best gear and best lenses (Cede uses Nikon D3S and a 500mm f2.8 prime lens)
Use UFC to focus track
Sharpness is imperative
Shoot in RAW
Shoot a lot of images
Shoot when animals are at their best not when you feel like it
