Harsh sunlight casts sharp dark shadows on your subjects, and the intense reflections cause glare on the lens.
If you are shooting a portrait, look for areas of open shade so that there's no direct sunlight on your subject.
The "Sunny 16 Rule" is that you can usually get a good exposure on a sunny day with these settings: Shutter Speed - 1/100 Aperture - f/16 ISO - 100
By underexposing the image a little, you can avoid blowing out the highlights to make it easier to edit later on.
By avoiding the few hours a day when the sun is directly overhead, you can avoid the worst effects of bright sunlight on your photos.
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