There's a reason the greatest photographers in history worked extensively in monochrome. Without the distraction of color, the viewer is drawn to form, texture, contrast, and emotion.
When I convert an image to black and white, I'm not simply removing color ??? I'm revealing a different truth. The play of light and shadow becomes the narrative. The subject's character emerges more powerfully.
My approach involves visualizing the final monochrome image at the moment of capture. I consider how each element will translate to grey tones, and I expose accordingly.