Try front-lighting, where the Sun is behind the photographer, only if you are not concerned about depth impression. Photographs taken in this manner tend to appear more flat and details do not pop out.
Pose your subject to the side of the sunlight if you want to render textures. Side-lighting casts shadows on the opposite side of your subject. You can experiment by taking photos from different angles from the side to create various shadow effects.
Put your subjects in front of the sunlight on the sunniest days. This technique, known as back-lighting, brings out sharp details for subjects in the foreground of the light. This also helps with the problem of squinting when the light is in front, or in the periphery of, the subjects.
Use a lens hood to shade the lens when shooting outdoor photos with back-lighting. This keeps the sunlight from falling directly on the lens and washing out the pictures.