Ok, I see a lot of picture where the lighting is not the best I think it could be.
If you don't want to go out and spend 50$ on a light deflector, I'm going to show you how to make one with household items.
(And it works amazingly)

First you will need:
A piece of square or circle cardboard (size does not matter, but it should be bigger than an average letter size paper)
Tape (any kind)
Tin Foil.

Reflector:
First you will want to cut out a big piece of tin foil, big enough to get around the piece of cardboard (only on one side)
Then after you have stretched it out over the cardboard, fold each side/corner in.
Then tape the sides and corners in place on the BACK of the cardboard.
Press and drag your finger over any bubbles and push outwards so it looks smooth.
(The side of the tin foil does not matter, I prefer the less concentrated side)

With the reflector you will want to position it towards a light source (primarily the sun with a reflector) and bounce the light off
into the shadows on the subject. (This is why I prefer the less shiny side, as it reflects the light more broadly)

A Continuous Light:
A light can be very VERY useful, if used correctly.

You will need:
A Flashlight
White paper (any kind, printer paper letter size will do)'
Tape

Here's what to do:
First you will want to find a flashlight that works. If you have ever tried shining a flashlight at something, you will notice a bright ring of concentrated light
because of the mirror within the flashlight. This will cause the shadows to be even more dramatic in a subject (you don't want this)
So what you do, it get a piece of paper and tape it LOOSELY over a flashlight (leaving about 1.5 inches between the paper, and the flashlight)
Tape the paper in place.

The paper acts as a diffuser and will diffuse the light so it's less concentrated in one area, and this will take out any shadows
on a subject, and will still look very natural.


Here's the result of using A Flashlight, A reflector with the sun as a source, a white backdrop and the White Balance settings within the camera:


Hope this helped, please post any questions.

This post was edited by TheBlackRose66 on Oct 4 2008 08:21pm

thanks for the info
but I think if someone is willing to pay thousands of dollars on a camera and accessories to go with it he/she probably wouldn't mind spending another 50 bucks for a reflector
I mean I paid that much for a lens hood alone a week ago

but it does sound fun though lol I like the idea to make fancy stuff out of "garbage" like MacGyver

This post was edited by Futurama on Oct 5 2008 12:30am

I purchased a really good 5in1 reflector at a local store for $50 ... I compared it to the main-line brands and it was just as good. Hella deal since it was retail and not over the internet.

yea

hell yea