There really isn't anything that you could call 'bad' color. It all has to do with the amount of color you use and in what context it appears.

A photographer's art is more in his perceptions than his execution. In a painter, I think the perception is only the first step, and then you have a kind of hard road of execution.

As you see something that yo want to shot and it's bearing down on you, it's important to start framing long before the subject gets close to you. The light will reveal itself possibly long before you want to take the image, but you have to wait until the picture comes to you, and if you've been anticipating carefully when the subject will be in position, the background will have been figured out in advance.

First, perseverance trumps talent. Second, do what you want to do, otherwise why bother? Third, be ethical; it might rub off on others. Fourth, don't give up.

You have to learn not only from your failures. You must also learn from your successes.

You see shape, and how the light hits things, how the color changes from one end of the photo to the other, and how movement affects the mood of the photo.

You must be open to what otherwise may seem to be a detriment to your 'plans'.