Two Commercial Roadies

Commercial photography can make great sums for some; be a grand life.
Two photographers from chicago serve as easy examples:

2chicagos

These 2 live within 3 miles of each other, yet one of them lives in a house worth a million dollars more. Wonder who screwed up?

About the light

First question:

does you scene begin in light, or dark?

the answer, is your worlds, your studios first principal. And its first physical principal.

In practice, all studios begin in dark, and are made selectively light.