Thu Jun 07, 2018 10:58 am by Taron
Well, if you went for a more "realistic" approach, you'd want to regard depth of field in a way, especially if you have such a large distance between foreground and background. Consider what would happen with a camera, for example. However, instead of a "blurry" background, you can simulate the idea of "blurriness" by simply keeping the background more loose with less definition. You could also look at impressionism, for example, to get an inspiration.
As for lighting, there are ways to add more theatrical drama, of course, but that's your staging design choice. A thing that is not a design choice, if you wish for more familiar realism, would be the classic air- or atmospheric- perspective! Look at the observations regarding how far the primary colors can reach through the air. First vanishes green, then red and eventually only blue remains. Also, since light bounces off diffuse surfaces into all directions and diminishes in strength, the original colors of objects get darker, while the atmosphere brightens them again. Consider this, when you study nature or even just pictures of landscapes.
Skin is another topic, because skin is not evenly colored and different parts of the body alter the color of the skin for various reasons: Thickness of skin, density of muscle, exposure to sun and lack of exposure, wear, natural scaring, hair, irritations and even mood flushes the body in different places. If you consider all these things, you can literally tell a story in a picture that captures the recent past, the current situation and what may be on a persons mind for the immediate future.