Diffuser ball

I have this indoor job to do that requires some nice even light in quite a small room.  I've been wondering how to light the scene to avoid harsh shadow and came across this diffuser ball so thought I'd give it a try.  Really it's a largish acrylic ball with an attachment that allows me to mount it on a studio light.

Room lit with a single flash gun and reflector.

After getting it out of the box I attached it to one of my studio lights on a light stand.  I then mounted a flashgun with a reflector to bounce the light around the room on a separate tripod.  I was curious to see the difference in room lighting between the two setups.  You can see a part of my globe in the top right of each shot below.

The first shot in this post is the result of using the flash gun.  Shadows under the table from the stool and chair are quite obvious, and there's a laminated document on the wall to the left of the far window that has unpleasant reflections.  You'll also notice the shadows under the bookcase to the left and, due to the proximity of the flash, a small white box atop the bookcase camera left is blown out.

Room lit with ball diffuser.

The second shot is with my globe (ball diffuser if you'd prefer).  True there are shadows, but they're nowhere near as harsh.  Take a look at that box atop the bookcase.  Look under the bookcase and at the laminated document by the window.  Look also around the ceiling light and compare the differences.  To me it looks more natural and significantly less stark that the first shot.  OK, so I got an unpleasant reflection in the window and there are shadows in the far right corner of the room, but I must admit to being quite delighted with the effect.  Time to take it to a few places now and experiment with my options!!