Sunlight is the type of light most of us use in amateur photography. A professional takes it serious enough to understand how temperature will relate to the colours we see, thus determining the image being captured. Anyone interested in learning how to take better photos needs to have at least the basics of lighting. If you want to capture a subject and learn the concepts you should find a subject and take photos throughout the day to see how sunlight can change your impressions and emotions of that subject. To help learn about sun capture, angle and direction will be discussed.
Rule #1: The broader and more diffused light is on a subject the softer the shadows will be. Thus, if it is narrow the shadows will be deeper and darker. At dawn or dusk a photo will have deeper shades of colour than at high noon when the sun is overhead diffusing its rays over more space.
4 1 2 Angle Grinder
Rule #2: Despite the sun being large it is not always diffused, making portraiture more difficult with natural effects. Portraits are easier to capture when indoors and lighting can be manipulated to reflect on a subject. Even though sunlight is not as great a source it is possible to have the model or subject sit in the shade or pose outdoors on an overcast day to get more contrast and better colour quality.
Rule #3: Timing: photography is often about timing when using the sun for its natural essence. With the sun it is easy to get a flat and unmoving image when it is high in the sky. For this reason most professional photographers will go out when it is at an angle of 70 to 80 degrees. At this point of day the sun helps bring out highlights, deep shadows, and texture unseen with full sunlight.
If you want to master lighting, especially with the use of the sun you need to learn how to control your surroundings. Controlling how you use it is an important skill. It will take time to perfect this skill. Most photographers will spend hours on the same subject going back day after day until they are satisfied they have perfected the image based on their usage of sunlight. In photography natural talent is important, but you need practise to hone and learn skills for the best advantage.