Softly, my dear, softly.

Part III in my lighting mod series involves my favorite one so far - a 48" reflector/shoot-through panel.  This particular one came with gold, silver and black covers, and a white translucent panel.  It can be used as a reflector, bouncing light back to the subject, a (large) flag, blocking light from a particular area, or a large softbox, when you just use the white panel, as I did here.  It is a beautiful way to cast a soft, diffuse light over the subject.

The photo below shows the exact same subject, camera and flash settings and positions, just without the panel.  Do you see how the harsh shadows just melted away with the use of the panel?

Nikon D90
Nikor 150mm f1.8
50mm - ISO Lo 1
1/160s- f/1.6

Nikon SB900
1/32 power @ f5.6
17mm zoom
Approximately 6" above subject 
And abput 2' to the right
Shot through 48" reflector
Flash triggered with Pocket Wizard