Something I've learnt is trying to do a studio shot without a studio and studio lighting is damn challenging. Not quite what I wanted to achieve, but here is my effort.
Can anyone tell me what this looks like on a decent monitor? I think I need a new monitor, recently I've been seeing a lot of posterization, and converting this to B&W I get a lot of it in the background.
It's a good idea and I think you're right that a certain lighting could really enhance this shot. Maybe try some selective levels work on PS. Maybe soften the shot too.