To soften the light from my desk lamp, I put fabric softener sheets over the bulbs…not because they are supposed to soften things, but because they were the only appropriately translucent papers I could find. [I wonder where the tissue paper went…] Not only are the results much easier on my eyes for all desk-related tasks, but they also produce photos with lower contrast and better, unwashed-out detail. As a bonus [?!], my desk smells like a dryer sheet. I deem this experiment successful!