Hmm... Tom said many wise things, as usual... I'll second that the main points are 1) don't merge your subject with background - if the subject is dark, the background should be lighter (and vice versa. 2) most important part should be lightest, usually face... 3) use fill light - pretty good lighting is possible with two lights, one above the camera (fill) and main light roughly at 45-45 degrees (45 degrees to left or right and 45 degrees up. 1,5 stops contrast between the lights is a good starting point.(posted 8749 days ago)and- use some film, make many variations and, most important, let us see some more results!
Sakari