One of the most common things you hear when people are taking photos of their family or friends is "turn towards the sun!" While this may produce very nice, bright, and colorful snapshots, it usually will not produce a very flattering portrait. The sun is the harshest, least forgiving light around and not easy at all to use. This is not to say that you should move your kids to the shade every time you want to take photos. If they are playing in the yard or on the beach, the sun will look very natural on them and will most likely make for a great photo. But, if you are trying to get a pleasing photograph of a group of people together at a party or picnic, facing them into the sun will usually create more problems than it will solve. Especially mid-day, the sun will create unpleasant dark circles under everyone's eyes. It will also make your subjects squint... not good. Next time, try putting your group into the shade of a building or tree and have them face out towards the open sky, which is a very nice, "soft" light. With the sky essentially lighting them instead of the sun, you will lose the harsh shadows and the squints all at once.
(sun is behind and to right of subject behind a large tree; he is facing open sky)
(preschool group in the same light and location)
(extreme example; sun is directly behind the subject putting her in the shade of her own body; trick is to keep direct sun off your lens or you'll get flare; I'm just barely in the shade of the railing to camera left)
