Quality of Light

I just got my first shoot-though translucent umbrella, light stand, and multi-clamp combo. Over at Strobist.blogspot.com, a site I've been frequenting of late, they make the case that a photographer is only as good as the quality of their light. Thus, I'm in a mission to improve that very thing. Here are some very quick and dirty test shots from yesterday using the umbrella.





I'm sure you'll agree that just having this single new light source makes a dramatic improvement. I'm torn on the catchlights though. On one hand, they're better than they've ever been in my photography. On the other hand, if you look at the cat, you can clearly make out the shape and spines of the umbrella. A soft box would be a far better solution, but at nearly 10x the price of an umbrella it will have to wait a bit.