Photographers have a lot of fancy tools available to them these days but I usually end up doing things the hard way – straightforward clone tool in GIMP
The trick to removing something is to work out what to put in it’s place. Generally there’s something in the frame you can use as the basis for a replacement – a bit of wall or a plant or something that will cover whatever shouldn’t be there. Then it’s a matter of blending and making it look natural.
But the cage in this photo is an issue: we have some elements to copy and use but the rad valve is partially covered but unique in the image. So a bit of creativity was required to create something that looks right
Now it’s possible that Photoshop’s AI tools could have done this automatically. I have seen it get pretty close to some of these edits – but crucially it missed some of the reflections and shadows so needs some finishing off the old school way.
I’m not an expert in these tools. I’m a photographer with pretty good expertise in editing with the basic tools. I’m like a carpenter with a sharp chisel.
In reality, this kind of thing doesn’t come up that often – it’s usually just simple fire exit signs – so there’s no need for me to look to major efficiencies here.
Of course we should have just moved the dog basket out of the way in the first place! But the reality of most photo shoots IRL is that there is always something that you miss or can’t fix on the day.