The Dangers of Urban Life

I live in an area of town that is classified as "walkable". This is another way to describe what it really is, which is "crowded" and "urban".

I wouldn't have it any other way, except where photography is concerned. You see, there are a lot of mature trees near me, as well as big houses. These trees look beautiful in the fall. I set out to photograph a few, and here are some examples:

These pictures were all taken in busy, populated neighborhoods. These were some of the "hits". The misses included pictures with multiple obstructions, including:

1) Cars (some of which were moving)
2) People (some of whom were accompanied by scary dogs)
3) Street signs
4) Trash cans
5) Power lines - these are the worst. They completely ruin a picture.

So, how do you capture good pictures under these circumstances? A few preventative tips:
1) Try shooting from different angles. In many cases, by moving a few feet, I was able to sidestep many of these issues.
2) Multiple lenses. Getting in front or around something may shorten the distance between the object and you. My wide-angle lens really saved me - I used it for all of the pictures in this post. A zoom lens is also somewhat helpful.
3) Time and patience. Trying different angles and different lenses isn't something you can do quickly. If you can't plan your outing in advance, then you will absolutely need to slow down.

What if you've already taken the pictures, and it's too late? Some post-processing tips to consider:
1) Cloning (a Photoshop term, I'm not referring to sheep or goats). Cloning involves "stamping out" some of the distractions in the photograph. As an example, this picture had signs in it:

This requires a great deal of time and precision. Only do it if you really have to. The more distractions you have, the longer it takes.
2) Cropping - this can be your best friend. This picture had a wide swath of street and sidewalk, which were useless to me:

Caution - make sure you have enough "picture" left when you do this. If you find that you're cropping out too many details, then you should scrap the picture.
I can't emphasize how important this is. As a result, I'm going to cover more examples tomorrow. I strongly feel that anyone can take pictures like these!

In the meantime, feel free to ask questions. :)
Till tomorrow! I may be posting late, due to a work trip. I'll do my best. :)