Sometimes, it's nearly impossible to remove unwanted items from a frame with Photoshop. Other times, it's possible to accomplish the task with Photoshop, but it's a lot easier to just remove the item physically at the time of capture. Here a few examples of when I rearranged things to clean up a scene:

1

This colors and textures of this garage door caught my eye as I was driving through Alamogordo, New Mexico. But, a road construction sign located directly in front of the garage door ruined the scene. So, I carried the sign out of the frame before capturing this picture.

Windows on redThree windows on a red garage door on North White Sands Boulevard in Alamogordo, New Mexico on December 15, 2012

2

I came across this stable for the Lexington mounted police, but the scene was ruined by a police vehicle (cart) parked inside the building. I asked the officer if he would mind moving the vehicle.

Mounted police barnMounted police barn at the Kentucky Horse Park at 4089 Iron Works Pkwy in Lexington, Kentucky on October 29, 2013. This photograph consists of five exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. 3

I noticed the repeating chandeliers in the mirror of the reception room of the Kentucky State Capitol, but two chairs were positioned where they blocked the bottom portion of the frame of the mirror. Although the area was roped off, I worked my way over there and moved the chairs. Once I captured the shots, I returned the chairs to their original position.

Repeating chandeliersRepeating chandeliers in a mirror of the State Reception Room of the Kentucky State Capitol building at 700 Capitol Ave Loop in Frankfort, Kentucky on October 30, 2013. This photograph consists of seven exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. 4

While touring the Old Capitol building in Frankfort, I asked the tour guide if he would help me slide a donation collection stand and box out of the frame. He agreed to do so, which helped clean up this image.

Old Capitol vestibuleVestibule leading to the central rotunda that features a self-supporting marble staircase in the Old Kentucky State Capitol building at 300 W. Broadway in Frankfort, Kentucky on October 30, 2013. The sculpture to the left is Henry Clay and the one to the right is Andrew Jackson. This photograph consists of four exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image. 5

In the St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption (Cincinnati), there were signs positioned on the stairs leading up to the altar warning visitors that the sanctuary is off limits. I temporarily removed the signs since they blocked details from the scene which would have been difficult or impossible to recreate in Photoshop.

Cathedral Basilica of the AssumptionSt. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption at 1130 Madison Avenue in Covington, Kentucky on October 28, 2013. This photograph consists of five exposures blended together to create a high dynamic range (HDR) image.

Sometimes it's just easier to remove items from the frame using the old-fashioned physical method!