I have several worlds that should be great practice material:
https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/the-twisted-crater-nether-empire-terrain/ https://www.planetminecraft.com/project/gt-astara-5k-x-5k-survival-map-minecraft-1-19-caves-amp-ores-free-download/The first is a nether terrain, though it is located in the overworld because of the height limit. It's very dark, so it would be a challenge to do lighting correctly.
The 2nd is a large terrain map that's full of interesting spots, feel free to pick any area. These maps are public, hence why I don't mind posting them in the comments instead of messaging. I'm perfectly capable of large-scale terrain renders with Chunky, but more player-perspective is something I still have some difficulty with.
All I ask is that if you end up using any of the resultant renders in your portfolio, that you mention the terrain was made by me.
In return I ask permission to use your renders of my work in my own portfolio, with of course the relevant credit.
Also, based on the renders you showed, I have a bit of a tip. Consider putting a weak spotlight directly behind the camera, aligned with its viewing direction. That way, whatever the camera focuses on will be slightly lit up. It should be very weak so that it doesn't overwhelm any other lighting, and isn't too noticeable (A large whitish spot with dark surroundings is a bit too obvious). You could tweak the color of the lighting as well.
Alternatively, if you're going for a larger-scale shot, a weak area light behind the camera might work too.
Apart from that, experiment with directional lighting and sun-based lighting if that's available. For the water, perhaps look up a tutorial for 'subsurface scattering', that's the 'method' used to simulate 'partial' transparency (rather than just being fully transparent, or reflective). That way even if it's completely flat it will still look like actual water.
Apart from that, good luck and I'm looking forward to what you come up with!
