In my opinion, the absolute best bang for your buck is getting a 5-in-1 diffuser/reflector combo. For $30 this thing is hard to beat! Super versatile and very easy to use. Of course, having a partner or assistant with you to maneuver it for you helps a ton. Anyway, it is usually better to face your subject away from the sun and with the reflector you can do this and then bounce light back into the subject as I did here in the main image. Or you may remove the reflective surface and use the scrim in order to diffuse the light on the subjects face as I did on one of the images below. There are many other uses for this product as well, you can use the black side to block light and deepen shadows and you can switch between a silver reflective side to a gold reflective side. All of these have their own advantages and disadvantages and can be used in a variety of ways in the studio and outside on location as well. Rest assured you will get great use of this thing! Here is the list of equipment that I used for these shots including the reflector.

What you'll need:

How to use it:

I highly recommend having an assistant with you while shooting with a reflector. You can, however, try it with by yourself by using your surroundings. I have propped it up on many things on location and tried using a light stand as well. Only thing is that you are at the mercy of the wind, and the bigger reflector you get the harder it is to keep it still without a helping hand.

Anyway, First step it to pose your model and compose your shot, as usual. If you are using the reflector side I suggest placing the sun behind your subject and bouncing the light back into them. If you are using it as a scrim I suggest facing your subject so that the sun is lighting them at about a 45 degree angle and shooting from the shadow side of the face.

Secondly, have your assistant hold and aim the reflector toward the subject.

and lastly, fire away!

Camera Settings: