Advices for outdoors portraits?

[ClickLife]

Hello! Well, first off, I'm a beginner in Photography, I'm taking classes and decided to do a photo shoot with a friend to practice. It's going to be outdoors at a park. I was wondering if I could have advices, any advice welcome!
I'm going to be bringing an external flash, reflector and a tripod.
Now, what settings would you recommend to get the best "looking" picture? Sharp and well exposed?
I'm a newbie, so please, go easy

Forgot about the description of lens: 18-55mm that came w/ the kit
Sigma 10-20 mm
Nikon D40
SB 600

 

[KmH]

Keep your subject well away from any backgrounds, and try and make the background as simple and plain as possible.

Don't have tree trunks directly behind your subjects head, so it doesn't seem to be growing out of their head.

Use an aperture near the middle of your lenses range (about f/8) to get the sharpest focus.

It would help if we knew which lens(s) you intend to use.

 

[Plato]

While I would never suggest that you do not use a tripod (it's always a good idea), you really shouldn't need one.

 

[tom123]

The more sunny the weather the more certain you should be to use flash.
Use larger apertures and precise focusing. Make sure the eyes are sharp but overall lines are soft. Use at least a 80mm (film equivalent) zoom. Stay at the same hight with your model. Shoot a lot and choose carefully. Use warmer tones. Don't overdo color (avoid vivid colors when shooting portraits). Hope this helps.

 

[Early]

For portraits, try to frame the subject between two objects like trees, buildings, doorways or something. They call it frame within a frame, and it's a big eye grabber.