Crab Apple #15-2 (Oct 1)

Crab Apple, or, Crabapple as some call it.  Regardless, this is a nice illustration of the "Circles of Confusion" concept I have been thinking about.

This is a  slightly modified photo to enhance the composition.  There was a cluster of greenish-brown leave at the bottom center of the image.  They weren't helping things; I made them go away.

Are there ethical issues with doctoring a photo like this for artistic reasons?  It's not photojournalism, it's not part of any smear campaign.... Personally, I am okay with this sort of manipulation.  I don't do too much creative enhancement to my photos, but quite often this is because it is too hard to do anything more than erase a leaf from a solid blue background.  In this case removing the leaves helps make the photo more about color and focus and less about the tree itself.