I could do with some help please regarding how to light this arena.

i've used point lights where the flames are and i would like all the rest to be dim, but bright enough to show the figures as i have a huge fight scene to do in this pit. this is for my comic so i want it to look good. how would you guys light this scene? 

Adjust the start and end distance of your point lights and the intensity.  That should get you what you are looking for. 

Hi mr! What Poser version are you using? I ask because using an HDRI image to light the scene helps a lot. Once I started using it  I got addicted to it. Also you can find a lot of some cool HDRI images online to use (in sites llke Poly Haven for example or even here in Renderosity). You could experiment with a night environment for example!

In Poser 13 one of the default scenes uses HDRI setup, then in materials/background if you change the "white" color to a grey or darker it will affect how much intensity it has.

You're not giving enough information about your scenario.  What time of the day is this combat occurring?  How much natural lighting do you want to influence the mood of the scene?  Is the flame a major focal point or is it just providing additional illumination?  Superfly or Firefly?

And the reason I ask about which render engine you have decided to use governs how you approach the lighting situation.  Using Firefly?  Forget about using an HDRI as a Poser background unless you are considering using a skydome.  If you are placing your combatants in a daytime scenario, I would suggest incorporating an infinite light varying in intensity depending on the time period of the day.  For your flame illumination, you have 2 options, mesh lighting or the point lights as you describe. Depending on the Poser version, mesh lighting could be messy with fireflies permeating the scene.  Point light will require precision to pull off a flame illumination as Boni commented.

im using poser 11 pro. and i like to use firefly

this arena is at the bottom of a huge temple so no natural light is needed just light from flames. I'm not using a skydome, because most of the arena covers the back from floor level and making the background black blends with my comic pages as i always use black gutters on the page.  

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There are several ways to achieve desirable results in Firefly.  To recreate a natural lighting effect, you can incorporate a Diffuse IDL with a light probe HDR.  There are several different types of probes to encompass unique times of day environments.  Using a skydome to illuminate your scene does not need to be visible.  It's like using an offstage lamp, you are providing a variable light situation.  Snarly's EZDome can be modified to the extent that the inner dome can be black and the outer dome provide only the HDRI lighting.  

But you are rendering a comic-style scene, so realistic lighting doesn't apply to this situation nor do you need it credible.  Use an infinite light or diffuse IDL and adjust the brightness to your liking.  Probably has a dim intensity so your flame becomes the predominant light source without increasing over-exaggerated shadows.  Use a point light for the flame and set its attenuation to Inverse Square, you want the light to fall off with distance drawing attention to the combatants in the scene.  Simplify the lighting scenario, no need to make it complex just for a comic page panel.

thanks for the help peeps!  the inverse square on point lights makes a big difference, i never knew about that before. 

thanks for the help peeps!  the inverse square on point lights makes a big difference, i never knew about that before. 

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@y-phil thanks, now I have to do a big fight scene with a minotaur and a dragon, looking forward to the finished page but doing it will be a pain. still now it will look good.

if anyone wants to read my comic it's free on comic fury called  Blunderland (only the last five or so chapter are poser)

Hello, I'm sorry, but I had to remove the posted images. The TOS does not allow for images containing a ball gag, chains, handcuffs, ropes, or straps restraining a character or person. https://www.renderosity.com/wiki/policies/terms-of-service

I'm only removing the images, not the thread, as there are some excellent lighting suggestions.

you might as well remove the thread as without the reference pictures posted just to show the lighting effects the thread isn.t much use.  From this point forward I will only be using the site to buy from the vendors as I'm sick of getting moaned at and threats when I post my work.

Don't go away mad, mr_red. I'm pretty sure you are still more than welcome to re-post your images if you choose to select & blur out entirely, the character that's bound by hands and/or feet. I don't think Renderosity has a web certificate to host and display on the internet, the kind of images Renderotica and other websites do. That's why they tell you from the start in the TOS what images you can or cannot post. Help them not get into trouble over images that they point out that are not okay with the site rules.

Back to the topic... I think the lighting in your scene (I've seen it lol) would be awesome if you'd make the whole scene look like a cave or a pit lit up from above, daylight creeping in. A bit of postwork never hurt any render lol

Or you could go for that campfire lighting look, where all the light's coming from the fire, but it's essential to keep the scene bright enough so you can see all the details. Low light doesn't help with details, tell you that much.