When shooting black and white photography using natural light, you should let the situation dictate the look and feel of the photo. So don't set out and try to shoot a high contrast shot unless you find a good opportunity with the right lighting. Try shooting on an overcast day.

The natural contrasts that come with black and white photography really bring into focus the texture of certain surfaces such as skin, fur, dirt, metal, wood, etc. in a way that color photography simply doesn't.

White Balance (WB) refers to the color balance of an image. While aperture, shutter speed and ISO all impact the brightness of the image, WB impacts its color temperature which is measured in degrees Kelvin (K). Essentially, adjusting the WB on your camera impacts how cool or warm the image appears.