Meet Priolite Brand Ambassador Colt Coan

Colt Coan is an accomplished music photojournalist whose work has been seen in places like Billboard, ABC News, Revolver Magazine and countless other international publications. He has spent his artistic years photographing some of today’s top music acts, both on and off the stage. A few of those acts include multi-platinum metal band Drowning Pool, Otherwise, Like a Storm, and Gooding among many others. When not on the road, he also spends his free time helping share his experiences and teach new photographers through local workshops, online lessons on Youtube and Skype, as well as on his blog – The Photo Era.

We are very glad that Colt has joined Priolite as an ambassador, and can’t wait to see what he is able to do with our lights. Priolite HotSync strobes are extremely easy to use, and they are the most powerful location lights with high speed flash sync capabilities for Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and Sony on the market today, which makes them a perfect tool for photographers on the move, such as Colt. Don’t take our word for it though: as soon as Colt got his lights, he headed out to test, and this is what he had to say:

For the last several months, I’ve been in search of a new strobe. Not just any strobe, but THE strobe. I needed portability, power, and cost effectiveness. Well ladies and gentlemen, I believe I have found the very strobe for me.

I had reached out to a company I had not previously heard of called Priolite. They are promoting wireless, battery-operated strobes that are capable of high speed sync up to 1/8000th of a second. As a music and portrait photographer, this is the type of thing I needed! I need something that lets me shoot in any situation I can think of – indoors or outdoors.

Here’s an excerpt about Priolite from their website:

“Priolite is a family-owned still and motion lighting equipment manufacturer based in Germany. When Priolite was established, we wanted to focus on making the best solutions for photographers, not the most. Today, Priolite offers the industry’s most powerful Li-Ion powered monolight and pack/head combinations with HotSync technology at up to 1000Ws per unit. All our units come with class-leading built-in 2.4GHz wireless trigger technology with up to 1000ft of range, and our PRIO bayonet enables you to use most Priolite, Bowens S, and Hensel mount speedrings; we even make a profoto adapter.”

Now I know a lot of people are already heavily purchased into their chosen brand of lighting. I won’t tell you what to do or tell you to switch brands. I WILL tell you, that Priolite’s products match up, and even exceed the expectations of those high end strobes. It’s built like a tank with an all metal construction, wireless, powerful, and it’s pretty stylish as well (just saying).

After the hours of research I had done, let me break it down in a nutshell:

• I love their product.
• I purchased (yes, I put my money where my mouth is) the MBX1000HS along with some modifiers to test drive and make sure this was absolutely what I was after. After a short little test session, I already knew I couldn’t be happier with my decision. It’s as simple as charging the battery up, and once charged, unplugging, turning on, and it’s ready to go! I need quick and painless setup when on the road.
• They’re a newer company. Newer companies are easier to work with, and they appreciate that someone wants to help promote their brand. I feel in just 5 or 6 weeks, I’ve built a great relationship over there, and I’d have no problem asking them questions about the equipment.
• High Speed Sync is a top priority for me
• I use HSS a lot. I bought the Phottix Odin TTL triggers just so I could shoot my speedlights at faster shutter speeds. Why? Because it’s a specific style I adore for any outdoor portraiture (especially bands), and now that I have 1000 watts of high speed power, I’m excited to be able to take it to the next level
• Portability > all
• A strobe is no good for me if it isn’t easily movable between jobs. If I’m on the road, I need a setup that doesn’t require an assistant to get up and ready in 5 minutes or less. This is it for me.

All in all, I’m very happy thus far with Priolite’s products. I recommend you go check them out here to see if they’re for you.

Here’s a couple test shots I had taken a couple days after its arrival. I wanted to see just how easy this thing was to set up. The battery had been charged up the night prior, so I unplugged it from its charger. I then attached the strobe to my light stand and also added my choice of modifier. I attached the transmitter to the shoe of my Nikon D810, and powered everything on. Everything worked that simply! Attach, plug, and play, as it should be.

If you want to find out more about Colt and our products, make sure to checkout our blog in the coming months, and visit Colt’s website, THE PHOTO ERA for more about him and his work.