Nathan

What are these artifacts around the edge of the image? You should not get these. Are these agitation marks from the processing of the film?
Is it an artifact of scanning the print?

Another comment...not taking into consideration the above question regarding the artifacts. Most portrait photography is done with the camera more at the subjects eye level. This produces the most attractive perspective on the face and overall composition. Your camera placement appears to be about shoulder level. You could raise the camera up, yet tilt it slighty down to get the same composition but rendering the image more pleasant in the face. There is also a greyness to the shadow side of the head that looks like it was dodged? If you need to add light to the shadow side of a subject, you can do it just as they did it 100+ years ago, by just using a large white card or sheet held up just out of range of the camera view. This will not change your overall exposure, it will just fill the shadows to allow you to get a full tonal range print without the important detail in the shadows going black.

Those marks are located consistant with the edge holes on a Kodak stainless hanger.

What phototone says is true but it's all subjective and rules are made to be broken. best to know them first, then break them though.

As for the print...I think your lighting of the subject looks good but in addition to the agitation marks, the film development looks to be uneven. Other than the advice for composing the image, I wouldn't make changes regarding the lighting or the print till these development issues are straightened out.

Well. The marks of development at sides are a bit distracting I agree. My subjective opinion is, that light and camera position, together with direction of sight makes this photo really strong. I like it. DOF, little lower perspective and lighting in face, that works here together. ++ r.

I don't know what to suggest. It looks great to me and all "imperfections" give it even more character

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I'll try and keep them in my head as I make more attempts. The artifacts are wrinkles in the paper that didn't get all the way flat in the el-cheapo scanner.

Uneveness is (I think) from the light source coming at the paper at a slight angle. I noticed when I tried one with the neg 180 deg from this way. My contact printing is with a 7watt bare bulb in a spare bathroom.

If you have access to a drymount press, that will take care of the wrinkles. You can just put the print between two sheets of preheated mat board in the press at around 180 degrees, with the press loosely closed (it doesn't need to be clamped down). Remove the print and put it between two sheets of clean mat board weighted down with books until it cools.

Super light!..... those edge marksare know as bromide burnout and are consistient with almost any form of stainless steel hangers or reels..... I shifted to plastic (Paterson) stuff and don't have the problem any more.... has to do with agitation mostly

No, really, those "edge marks" are from a wrinkly print on a flatbed scanner. Obviously it's not my photo, but I'm fairly sure they're not on the neg.

This is lovely - stay with natural light. The angle, the softness of the light, his expression, all work very well to me.

The only thing I might be tempted to do is crop a small slice (and I mean a small slice) off the bottom, to bring you somehow closer into his face, but that's very subjective.