Tried to explain to someone the difference between default photomode settings and how I take photos, and the short answer is basically:
Back the camera away from your subject, then zoom in (I'm almost always at 2.5-4x zoom) and adjust your focal distance to what you want in focus, like Cal's eyes. Feel free to zoom in MORE and make sure your focus is sharp, then go back and find your desired composition.
The "tighter" zoom does two things: it removes distortion, but also compresses the foreground and background elements together. So our very tiny security droid in Example 1 becomes much larger in relation to Cal, because the background is now brought forward. We see less of the Koboh landscape, but more of the droid and sparks instead. For reference, if I took these photos with an IRL camera, the first would be a 16mm lens and the second a 70mm.
With the spotlights I have three goals: draw attention to the important part of the image (often the subject's face), add contrast, and visually separate the subject from the environment via rim/edge lighting. In Example 1, I put a white light directly above Cal to illuminate his hair, hood, shoulder, and BD's head. Then I placed both a yellow and white light to brighten the right (far) side of his face. It's called "short side lighting" in portrait / interview setups, but that's a bigger can of worms 🐛
In Example 2, I used slightly-offset yellow and red spotlights on Cal's face to "boost" the glow of the orange saber. Then I added a white light on the opposite side as if the background light was wrapping around from behind. That also created a "catchlight" in each eye (the little white highlight on each iris) to add more life to his expression.
TL;DR back up, zoom in, put lights around Cal vs directly from the camera position. I know different hardware and screen setups will impact resolution and textures and raytracing - but creative decisions will still carry you most of the way, regardless of your preferred style or look.
No right or wrong way to approach virtual photography! It's fun to mess around and discover what you like. But zoom, focal distance, and lights will really impact your composition, so if you want to try something new, start there.
