Just about any subject can be transformed into a WOW if you shoot it with your camera pointing straight down. This is what is called the bird's eye view.

Black-and-white photography is considered by some to be more subtle and interpretive, and less realistic than color photography. Monochrome images are not direct renditions of their subjects, but are abstractions from reality, representing colors in shades of grey. In computer terms, this is often called greyscale.

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.

This is especially true given that eye-catching images in black and white can look uninteresting in color, and vice versa. For many photographers, black and white therefore offers the chance to transform mundane, often lackluster subjects, into things of absolute beauty.