Soot and chalk - Ansel used this to describe most other people's Black and White shots. His complaint was - and mine is - there is no real black, no real white, It's all just grays. It needs the full tonal range. That being said it's a relatively banal shot - more a snapshot than a serious photo. On the positive side, using black and white is a brave step in to a difficult field. Keep at it, and bump up the contrast just enough to generate all the ranges from Black to White. High and Low key asside, this photo needs ALL of it!