To go back to the originator's question I think normal sunlight conditions are best used if there is a shadow on my thigh. The light and shade gives my body shape whereas sun directly behind the camera gives a flat look. And the countryside gives a superb back drop.
PalmSpringsGayNaturalist, I love the way the rock dominates the left side and puts the whole scene in perspective. The ocean meeting the sand in the lower right corner makes the whole scene balance.
I agree with you, Oilygrumps, about straight-on sunlight vs at-angle. This is an interesting observation. I find that slightly at-angle sun offers many more opportunities than straight-on sunlight to explore and highlight subtleties in the human form in capturing body language and expression of mood.Strange as the analogy may seem, to me it is somewhat like the experience of a baseball fielder who either has to track, intercept and catch a line drive hit to a point that is slightly to one side vs directly at the fielder. The ball hit to the side has much more perspective and the flight path is readily understood, making it relatively easy to understand what path would intersect the flight of the ball. The ball hit directly at the fielder has no depth perspective and it can be very challenging to track and catch. A straight on full-sun photo comes off as flat without the depth that is useful to really grasp the subject as fully as the one with subtle shadowing.