As a photographer I have some latitude about what will be in the image I’m making. I often change my position to change a complicating background, dropping down to include the sky or raising up to exclude it. I can use a different lens setting to blur the background or keep more of it in focus. Having a zoom lens is for me now status quo, allowing me to quickly crop the scene I want to show. Reflectors, filters, lenses—so many useful tools available to help me make an image that shows what I want others to see.
And once the image is stored, I have a host of options in processing software. I do not extensively “post-process,” typically limiting myself to basic, minor exposure adjustments and a bit of cropping. You will not find me layering a photograph of the moon with a photograph of my favorite bare-branched tree! If I did not come close to getting it right when I clicked the shutter, the image will usually end up in the trash.
I use these tools and techniques to show what I see and want to share. One of the constant issues in “nature photography” is whether or not a photographer is “honest” in their work. For instance, do I actively exclude power lines from a classic scenic photograph of Vermont foliage? If the lines are in the stored image, do I eliminate them in post-processing—now a very simple thing to do? Or a more complicated question—because it quickly becomes a “slippery slope”—do I add the perfect red leaf to the scene or move a stick to make the composition more to my liking? Again, for me, generally I draw the line at moving things, even when tempted!
All this said, in the interest of being transparent and because this issue is worth considering, I want to share all of an image with you, part of which I posted yesterday. Here again is my final image of the windmill in that marvelous Dutch light:
What I wanted you to see...
And here is the full, uncropped image I originally made from the ship cruising down the Rhine River.
What I saw when I reviewed the images later
Honestly, I did not see the “distraction” in the left side of the image until I looked at it later that night. By then, there was not changing lenses or moving to another position. There was only the “cropping” function in LightRoom! And a smile regarding this “young” artist’s continued questions. That I feel this is almost a “confession” suggests, I think, the questions are worth my further consideration.
Still Learning To See 
I had to chuckle outloud when the “golden arches” appeared in the original photograph–and thank you VERY much for the editing! Since your type of photography is an art form, not just snapshots for a photo album, the artist in you has every right (IMHO) to become part of the “creation” of the piece. And your own inner compass will tell you how far to take that artistic license. In this case, thanks SO much for your editing! 🙂