Black and white or color?

High-quality black and white photograph actually is the apex of photography, you  must be very experienced photographer to achieve the best quality black and  white photograph. Ten years ago, among our family pictures there were  mostly just black and  white photographs, rarely there were some colored. In Soviet times, I even considered colored picture to some extent and luxury, although you could see the film for color photos in sale. I remember  when in 1999 for my birthday I received a present from  my grandfather-  the “Zenit”. I then began to shoot mostly trains and everything associated with the railroad, but even looking at them through many years, I did not say that they  got poor quality. The most important thing in photography is the very presence of colors as well as a photograph and its definition.

Black & white photography, for me, is one of the most interesting and inspiring aspects of this art form we call our hobby and passion. It’s raw and refined, natural and unusual, bold and subtle, mysterious and open, emotional and impassive, simple and complex, black and white and everything in between. The monochromatic image has been with photography since the beginning, but what began as the only way to capture images has turned into something much deeper.

An experienced black and  white photographer can see the world without any color. They’ve trained their mind to pick up contrast and tone while blocking the distraction of colors. This isn’t a skill that everyone  can pick up in a short amount of time; it’s something that comes naturally in time. I can’t say that I’m gifted enough to have monochrome vision, but I have been able to notice certain scenes and subjects that would lend themselves to black and white.

Recently I have been reading Lee Frost’s : Simple Art of Black and White Photography and I think it is excellent. I’ve read a large amount of black and white photography books, but this one is by far and away the best. It doesn't bury itself in arcane developers and complex techniques but shows, with examples, the beauty of black and white photography and how to produce best quality prints.
Lee Frost's amazing black and white images:

Source:
http://www.leefrost.co.uk/gallery.asp?category=Landscapes%20Black%20And%20White%20-%201
http://www.thespiderawards.com/gallery5/gallery.php?x=p&cid=44&g=w
Lee Frost's Simple Art of Black and White Photography: Easy Methods for making Fine Art Prints, 2004 edition from David and Charles.