You need to use diffused or soft light.try reflecting a lamp off a semi shiny dinner plate or something. Or u can buy those shiny white things photographer s use on amazon for cheapNeewer 32-Inch Portable 5-in-1 Collapsible Round Multi Disc Light Reflector - Translucent, Silver, Gold, White, and Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002ZIVKAE/ref=cm_sw_r_other_awd_O27swb4F3QFSR
> would a store-bought shiny actual reflector make any difference?
If it's something like this designed for photography, absolutely. Having your subjects backlit with only shadows on their faces vs. backlit with golden sunlight reflected on their faces makes a world of difference without even adding a flash.
That said, your base photo really isn't a bad starting point, so it might just be whatever preset you've used isn't optimized for the photo.
That would definitely work for food or any other product/still life photography. Only thing with the box is that you're limited to solid color backgrounds, unless that's what you want. With a reflector like this you can diffuse/reflect light and compose the background however you want.
I have those ones which I never really used. I suppose this could work? The only thing is the practical side of it since I would 32'' to be too big to carry around in the field.
This is the set I bought. I like it because it has all the shades. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZIVKAE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
All those items are pretty cheap. The reflector is 15 bucks on amazon. The foam core is also about 15 bucks (and get a black version for your flag). And yes, foam board is used for bounce. It gives off a spread-out, diffused light that's good for a lot of situations.