Quote from: leaf on October 29, 2009, 06:37

Quote from: simsi on October 29, 2009, 05:24

wow, so fast, thanks! i adore these things, wish i had the space and money for lighting equipment!!

well a reflector is very cheap.  If you can't afford a collapsible one from the store you can just get a big piece of white paper, or a cardboard box and spray paint it gold or white.  My first reflector was a white sheet that I spray painted gold.  It didn't work as good as a bought reflector but it was cheap and was a good place to start.

Bought one at a dollar store. (for $1)  It was packaged as a windshield Sun reflector. Nice silver. Maybe some day I'll find a gold one?  You can duct tape it over a frame, old Hula Hoop or circle from a large pizza. Done! Haven't used it yet, because I have some umbrellas, with slave strobes, on stands, and no assistant. It's there in the supplies, just in case.

Cool Educational Video comparing umbrellas and soft boxes with a models face.  http://ow.ly/uR0H

+1 on the windshield reflector at the dollar store. And while you're their pick up a few pieces of white poster board, or foam core if they have it.

Foam core rocks! Easy to hold and position and easy to afford.

Is that Styrofoam? It breaks easily when it's a bit larger and you hold it at the edges, or outdoors when there is some wind. I have some cheap reflectors made of a frame of glued thin plastic water tubing and roof insulation left-overs (one side aluminum foil, the other side thin flexible white foam) glued at the edges with contact glue. It won't break at all, and if the foil is pierced, you just glue another one on the plastic frame.

I have found modelmayhem.com to be a great source. Build a profile and post a casting call

Yes, specialized websites for photographers/models/stylists work quite good. Note, that different sites are popular in different countries, e.g.:
modellennet.be in Flanders (Belgium)
dutchheaven.nl in the Netherlands
model-kartei.de in Germany
fashionbank.ru in Moscow (Russia)