Light reflectors: A cheap alternative to flash

I brought a 5-in-1 light reflector set to photojournalism class and we experimented with it in the parking lot behind the Communication Building at Flagler College. I haven’t used reflectors and I was anxious to try them out.
Student Phil Sunkel, an accomplished photographer, was a great help and showed everyone how the semitransparent or translucent reflector could be used to diffuse the bright sunlight. I mistakenly tried to use it to reflect light at one point. Sunkel spotted that and said “that’s the opposite of what” that one is supposed to do.
Then we started using a gold-colored reflector and saw instantly what a great tool it can be. It worked even better than fill flash to light up two back-lit subjects, Angela Biggs and Victoria Choeff.