Popphoto.com suggests 3 ways to backlight your photos better (details and examples on the site).
1. Light a fire. Translucent objects such as leaves and flowers seem to glow with an internal fire when backlit. You’ll likely want the glowing subject recorded about 1 stop brighter than medium gray to keep it lively. So meter on the subject with a spotmeter or by moving in close to fill the viewfinder, then add 1 stop to the indicated exposure, recompose, and shoot.
2. Draw strong lines. If your subject is opaque, backlighting can outline it in white, separating it from the background and surrounding it in a magnificent halo. If the subject is darker than the background, you should meter exclusively on your subject when setting your exposure.
3. Fight flare. When shooting toward the sun you risk lens flare—ghostly light that often ruins an image. Provided the sun is not actually in the frame, prevent flare by shading the front of the lens from sunlight. Lenshoods sometimes work for this, but you’re better off using a hand, card, or hat.