Shooting into the sun is not always a bad technique. Exposing for the objects in the scene can then give nice flat lighting from the broad sky reflector. This is even useful in portraits. With enough exposure it gives a nice high-key lighting effect. But the sky will be washed out, and some contrast will be lost due to lens flair. Sometimes lens flair can be pretty. ["Rules" are important to understand before breaking them. What is important is understanding how to get the desired effect.] The camera here was slightly tilted?