Just experimenting shooting directly into the sun with my camera and IR filter while sitting down for a short break on a recent hike in Colorado. The image turned out to be more interesting than I expected.
Chris, I really love this shot, and the clouds are what i call the Monet clouds which are really beautiful behind the long tall trees. The color shot must of also look good.thanks for your comment julia
Just perusing the random photos, and this one really caught my eye. I thought it was a night shot until I read your comments. I like it! The shape of the clouds and the angle of the trees on the right kind of lend a dome-like feel to the sky. I don't know how tall the two trees in the middle were, but I think this photo might have been more effective if we could have seen the tops of them.
As for pointing the camera right at the sun, I don't know anything in terms of proper techniques for doing so, but I take shots into the sun all the time. The camera always reacts differently to it, so I'm often surprised by the results. (Some good surprises, some bad!)