For this project it may be helpful to use 3D figure models for pose, anatomy and lighting reference. There are a couple of great resources for this listed below.

Adobe Fuse

Adobe Fuse software comes with your Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. You can download it at the link below:
https://www.adobe.com/products/fuse.html

The video below goes over how to use Adobe Fuse with Mixamo to pose your figures and how to light them in Photoshop.

Daz Stuio

Daz Studio is a free program you can use to manually pose, adjust camera angles and light your 3D models. You can download Daz Studio for free at the following link: https://www.daz3d.com/get_studio

It comes with a few free figure models, but most models are available for purchase on their website at: https://www.daz3d.com/shop/

Daz Studio is great for creature, animal and fantasy-type 3D reference as they have a ton of models available for purchase.

Magic Poser

Magic Poser is available for free as a mobile app for your phone or tablet. There is also a lite version available in your browser, but it will only work in Chrome or Firefox.
https://magicposer.com