Most photography advice says to shoot early or late and hide at noon. In the south of France, noon lasts from eleven to four for half the year. If I waited for soft light, I would never work.
Look at the shadows first
Hard light makes the shadows as important as the subject. Before I lift the camera I look at what the leaves, shutters and railings are drawing on the walls. Often the shadow is the picture and the person just walks into it.
Expose for the highlights
White walls and bright skin burn out quickly. I meter for the brightest thing that matters and let the shadows go deep. Instant film loves this: the blacks go inky and the whites stay creamy.
And when it is too much, I go inside and look for the square of light coming through a window. It is the same sun, just smaller.
