Now that we have the goal for the lighting in our scene clearly defined, the next step is to outline the approach we are going to take and the tools we are going to use in order to create that lighting solution for ourselves. Again, we could quite easily jump in and probably use the default Sun and sky system in V-Ray, which has been designed with the goal of creating natural-looking daylight in mind.

The problem with diving in isn't necessarily the lack in quality that such an approach will produce, but rather the lack of artistic development that it can foster. Remember, a good photographer is, generally speaking, an artist first and a technician second. He/she is someone who has learned how to utilize the technology at their disposal as a means to an end in the pursuit of their artistic vision. Ultimately, it is their understanding of what makes a photograph good along with their artistic sensibility that will allow them to create the kind of high quality images that...