Hello,
I've always been a fine artist and painter before I got into animation. Currently I'm in school enjoying animation. Something really hit me this year. I really love lighting and rendering scenes in Maya. I've been studying Jeremy Birin's movie Lights and Shadows as well as his book Digital Lighting and Rendering. I'm eating all this up and it's wonderful. I want to consider pursuing a direction of a lighting TD, but I really haven't had any school training to know how to pursue this any further.
I guess I'm wondering if any one has any career field advice or any further lighting or even texturing books to offer. I guess I'm looking to hear just anything to help me see further.
Best advice is to start taking classes in photography and cinematography. Lighting TD's are essentially cinematographers that use Maya to create their lighting. You are going to need not only a strong foundation in fine art (painting to be exact) but also black and white photography. I'd also recommend not only watching movies, but also try and help out on a real film set if you can just to see how they use those lights to max effect. There is also learning the science of light, and how programs like Maya use it to create lighting effects.
Texturing is more of observance of life as well as being able to gather images, paint in photoshop, and be creative in using existing textures to create things that don't exist, such as alien skin.
Couple books I recommend:
The Visual Story by Bruce Block
Painting With Light by John Alton
The Negative by Ansel Adams
There are couple more I have that I can't think of at the moment, but nothing is better than doing. That should get you started though, have fun :)
"Why talk when you can paint?" -Milton Avery
I'd recommend you take compositing classes in Nuke or something similar. And take lighting and rendering classes, too.
I think knowing how to model and texture in Maya will be a huge help in developing your personal work.
And don't forget, there is animation in lighting, too. Moving cameras as well as characters. Not to mention light changing over time (sunrise/sunset, storm coming in, shadows dancing) So keep up with the animation but focus on lighting.
Check out CG Society, they have a great lighting/rendering forum an have competitions, too.