for $3 you can't get a better light modifier.
Spend some time in the wedding and Formal and posed sections here to get some good ideas about posing and lighting.
learn to "deconstruct light" (how it was lit)
Greg Bartle,
I have a Pentax and I'm not afraid to use it.
Pentax K5
Sigma 10-20 | Tamron 17-50 F:2.8 | Sigma 50 F:1.4 | Sigma 70-200 F:2.8 Plus a bunch of Ye Olde lenses