Panoramas are fast becoming a popular kind of photography technique thanks to easy-to-use software now being included on smartphones. There’s something about seeing an extreme wide-angle shot that brings a shiver down my spine — something I felt looking at several of this week’s entries. Make sure you click on each image to see it in its full glory.

Some of these images made my skin crawl. The balls are freaking me out. Click through to see all 14 interpretations of this week’s shooting challenge theme, and you’ll see what I mean. Now excuse me please while I go wash my hands.

There’s something perennially mesmerising about black and white images, but there’s a time and place for its use as a photography technique. In response to this week’s shooting challenge, 38 Giz readers share their stories, camera equipment and techniques for snapping black and white photos. Don’t forget to click on each image to see the full, non-truncated version.

This week’s shooting challenge theme was ‘towels’, in remembrance of Douglas Adams, who authored The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Not everyone will get the reference (including me), but we’ve received a handful of awesome shots from five Giz readers, including two mates. Check out the results after the jump.