Every Friday we delve into the Sony World Photography Awards archives to bring you the best dramatic black & white images, where the photographers cast the colour spectrum aside to truly explore the nature of seeing. By looking at those who’ve consciously photographed without colour, we can examine subjects from a different perspective, expanding both our appreciation and understanding of photography. The selection below demonstrates black & white’s multiple uses – be it as a symbol of expression or to shift the focus towards light, shadow, texture and form, or even for abstraction. Here we see how monochrome is a useful visual language to go beyond the ordinary.