“Golden hour” — the period shortly after sunrise and before sunset — gets mentioned constantly in photography advice, and the underlying reason is specific and worth understanding rather than just following as a rule.
During golden hour, sunlight travels through more atmosphere at its low angle, scattering blue wavelengths more and leaving a warmer, softer light reaching the ground compared to the harsher, more directly overhead light at midday.
This lower light angle also creates longer, more dramatic shadows and a more three-dimensional sense of texture on subjects, compared to the flatter, harsher shadows direct overhead sun produces.
This does not mean midday photography is impossible — overcast midday conditions actually provide naturally diffused, soft light useful for many subjects — but understanding why golden hour light looks different helps explain when to seek it out and when other lighting conditions are actually preferable for a specific shot.