Timing of light

Timing of light is something is not often thought about with many amateur photographers.  Most pros would prefer not to shoot photos between 10am-6pm in the summer.  During that time light is often coming straight down and gives a very flat feel.   Sometimes you shoot the light you are given and make due.  

This photo was taken at 1pm.

Outside of those times mentioned, the sun is lower in the horizon and the light comes in more from the side than straight down.  Light from the side can provide some depth the image you are shooting, much like Chiaroscuro

The light near sunrise or sunset is warmer in its color tone, while the middle of the day can be blueish.   With the sidelight, you can shoot to shoot with it behind your subject, where it provides a night highlight to your subject, or shoot with the light in front of your subject and use it as a sort of spotlight.

This photo was taken at 7pm, facing west, so the sun was giving her and the plants a bit of a highlight.

In the winter the sun is lower in the horizon and the daylight is less, but it generally provides more hours of dynamic light than in the summer.