I was shooting some actors headshots the other day and before we started I noticed the direct sun beaming through the window onto the lounge. I had to start by grabbing this shot as that light wasn't hanging around long.
I see this kind of shot as chasing shadows more than chasing light.
More and more people are trying to get their cameras to capture a greater dynamic range, being able to see all the shadows and all the highlights, as you can with the naked eye. But I think photography will lose a lot of it's charm when or if they succeed.