How to Make a DIY Reflector

For awhile now, I've been playing with the idea of buying a reflector. However, they're at least forty bucks, so I figured I'd try to make one myself. The picture above is what I came up with. It doesn't look quite as professional as one of these guys:

But it worked! I was pleasantly surprised with the difference it made in the photos. My design could probably use some work (it was heavy using the picture frame), but it didn't cost me anything (I had the foil on hand and the picture frame) and it worked well for the photo I was taking. 

Here's a comparison of a picture without the reflector and a picture with the reflector. Both were taken in the same light and same direction. 

The reflector acts as a fill light that really makes her face glow. This photo hasn't got any post-production.
It's straight out of the camera to show how effective the DIY reflector was. 

I just asked my subject to hold the reflector at a 45 degree angle pointing up at herself, but you could experiment by moving your reflector into different positions. I'd recommend you have someone help you hold the reflector, because it's pretty limiting of the shots you can compose when the subject or the photographer has to hold it.  

Let me know in the comments if you have any questions or experiences with reflectors!

P.S. These photos were from a mini photo shoot for new profile pictures. If you want to see my advice on taking a good profile picture, you can check out my post here.