Indian family by the beach: Can the clutter be removed in PP? And should it?

[lotteotte]

I have always liked this photo. I took it years ago at Coney Island. I like the looks of the woman and the girl, the position of the man, the colors of their clothes. But, there is a lot of clutter in the photo - on the bench, the garbage bins at the beach, the people near the water, the yellow stick. I have never done any serious PP, and my question is: Can all this be removed (and I now need to learn it for real)? And somehow I also wonder: Should all this be removed, or is it part of reality that should stay? What do you think?

[gturner]

I guess it depends on how much time you have on your hands.
You like the shot, but it is not going to get printed and is not a world beater.
Good test of your PP skills none the less.

(pole growing out of the ladies head is a good place to start.)

[zenandzen]

Hi, I hope I have not stepped on any toes here but in 10 minutes with Irfanview this has tidied up quite well (it's a good shot).
All I did was one and a half degrees ant-clockwise rotation to correct the sloping ocean (not cropped) and cut /paste some ocean next to the yellow pole to cover it over.
The other 'clutter' is part of the atmosphere.

From Drop Box

[lotteotte]

Originally Posted by zenandzen

Hi, I hope I have not stepped on any toes here but in 10 minutes with Irfanview this has tidied up quite well (it's a good shot).
All I did was one and a half degrees ant-clockwise rotation to correct the sloping ocean (not cropped) and cut /paste some ocean next to the yellow pole to cover it over.
The other 'clutter' is part of the atmosphere.

Thanks - I definitely have to look into Irfanview now. Sounds nice and easy, and I am glad the yellow pole is gone. The garbage on the bench is part of the atmosphere....interesting....thanks for all your input, much appreciated !