For shooting shiny products, we usually grab one of two types of modifiers – a softbox or a scrim.
Umbrellas leave unwanted reflections of themselves on shiny surfaces, and unmodified light can create small, bright speculars that may not be welcome in our image.
Softboxes have defined edges – the box itself – while scrims can be controlled by how close you move the light in relation to the back of the scrim. Since the scrim is being reflected back, the light can be moved to create a gradation in the specular reflection. If you want a more uniform presentation of light, pull the light head farther away from the scrim.
REMEMBER: Neither is right or wrong, it is simply your choice when lighting and creating images the way YOU want them to look.
A softbox. The edge to edge light presentation is even, and for many shots you want to control the reflected specular of this light to constrain it to those clean, defined edges. With a softbox, we do not have any control over the light presentation from the box – and that is how it should be.
The scrim allows you to move the light in closer for more gradation, or further back for a more uniform presentation. You can still have a defined edge, but it can be softer or less defined. With a scrim, we can do much more with the light presentation – and create more subtle effects if we need to.
