Black and white both lend themselves to more graphic quilts -- and those photograph well, so it's not surprising that you find you like them when you spot them here.
Some of the best design/quilting advice I ever heard, though I can't recall where I heard it: Make visual design decisions visually. In other words, go with what looks good, not with your sentimental favorite, or what you have most in your stash, or some kind of symbolism. I found that my quilts look much better when I sopped trying to make them be the recipient's presumed favorite colors, but rather went with what looked best, thinking of the quilt as a graphic design.
RST