I really enjoy this site - I learn from the images and the great C&C
Having thrown in some comments on the work of others, I decided I'd better contribute some images myself, for much needed C&C for my own efforts.
Here are some desert images from this beginner’s recent trip to the area around Nevada’s valley of fire. I certainly got a feel for the importance of quality of light on character of color. You can't "fix" light, but I am sure there are ways to take best advantage of the light you get. I struggled with scale a good bit – it is hard to communicate scale well. Vegetation helps. I think all three of these to some extent have the scale problem, but especially the third.
For the geologically inclined, the first and second images are of interest because they show the black caprock of the muddy mountains. These Paleozoic limestone/conglomerates are thrust over younger Mesozoic (red, orange, yellow) sandstones as a result of the Sevier overthrust event that runs from here in Nevada up through much of Utah.