Hello guys...hope u guys are doing well...
Context — I don't know much about lighting and composition yet.
I'm trying to follow the whole game art production pipeline: figuring out the story first, then reference gathering, then blockout. I've never done a blockout before and only really know modeling so far.
So this is just a blockout of my props and a test of a basic initial composition, nothing more ( before i start actual modeling, optimization, uv, texture etc)
I have a sun lamp, an area lamp near the window, and an HDRI. I'm trying to capture a cold pre-dawn/blue-hour moment not morning at all.
The story: ( 1800s/1900s ) the explorer was so absorbed in reading his (map) journal that he completely lost track of time. When the very first pre-dawn light comes through the window, he finally notices it, realizes how tired he is, and walks away.
My renders- 
The reference I'm using for the lighting is below.
Awesome mood. I think you are achieving it. Only thing is a tweak to the story since I don't think there was even electricity back then for those to be the years in which the image takes place. The lamp looks too modern. Your scene looks busy enough, great art direction. You've come such a long way Deb.
The first one is the closest to the mid 1800. Maybe a little more red. If you're going for the Carbon filaments during the late 1800s then it's the right color, but to bright. I'd have to look it up, but from what I remember it was in the 1890s when they could make higher then 40-watt bulbs that were safe enough for general use. Also make sure normalize isn't checked on that light.
As for your question, the first and last image I think give off the right kind of lighting. The first one makes me think winter or colder season. Probably because of the darker blue and lower light. The last one makes me think of Springtime. The third one is very similar to the last. The second one is too bright or too Blue.
Thank you, Omar and dillenbata3!
Omar, electricity started reaching homes in the late 1800s. By the 1920s, many wealthy and middle class homes had it (urban areas mostly). My goal is to focus on 1900s too, though I don’t want to go past 1935 or 1940. I have items that wealthy, knowledgeable people would use, like a globe, many books, a telescope, and a magnifying glass. An electric lamp fits perfectly in that context.
That said, I made changes based on your feedback, and you were right. Even though the model I referenced was from the 1900s, it still looked too modern. I switched to a 1930s desk lamp. I am using references from both the 1800s and 1900s to show that the explorer is not a beginner. He is evolving and upgrading as time progresses, which importantly shows that time is passing.dillenbata3, thank you. Yes, my 'normalize' setting was checked. That’s why I didn’t get the results I wanted when I resized my point light. Thank you for pointing that out! I tried the temperature method to make it more reddish, but I didn’t like it. It feels too harsh to me. I understand it might be more realistic, but I’m going to stick with this one. Really, thank you for your suggestion!
Oh and i also wanted to use the 1st image light set up though i wanted a feedback 1st..so thank u for that too..now i will use it comfortably...Thank you..
It looks great. I think that normalize also affects color saturation. I'd have to test that. If you were to make it redder that would be closer to the bamboo filament which if I remember correctly was used in Business not homes. Funny how I get to use knowledge I learned for a steampunk set I worked on a few years ago.