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. It will soften the whites and blacks and result in a B&W image with more depth and gradient between the light and shadows.

White balance is the adjustment of a digital photograph to make its colors appear more realistic. “It's a way to set a photograph to neutral, to make the white look white,” says photographer and educator Adam Long.

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.