When done right, black and white photos can be quite powerful, drawing the viewer in with their dramatic play between light and shadow. This excellent video will give you some helpful tips and advice for better black and white landscape photos.
Coming to you from Photo Tom, this great video details some great tips and advice for black and white landscape photography. When you think of landscape photography, you might think of vivid, colorful images, and while those can certainly be beautiful, black and white photos can be quite powerful themselves. Personally, I think even if you are not into black and white work, it is something everyone should practice, as it is a great way to practice reading light. I like to switch the picture profile on my camera to monochrome while I am working, as it makes it easier to practice. If you are shooting in raw, do not worry, your camera will still record the full-color image, so if you decide to use that after the fact, you still can. Check out the video above for the full rundown.
And if you really want to dive into landscape photography, check out "Photographing The World 1: Landscape Photography and Post-Processing with Elia Locardi."
I don't agree with you, black and white landscape may look dramatic but not at all depressing. It all depends on your mood as sometimes you just can't stand any bright colors. Plus I believe that black and white photos draw your audience's attention to the composition. Of course, you have to have some skills to get a perfect composition.