Leaves covering bud sites will not hurt--the fan leaves are where the huge majority of the photosynthesis takes place. Buds do not actually need direct light.
Can you post up a pic and we can give some advice on pruning. However, we usually take entire branches and do not clip off big fan leaves.
yeah a pic will help. in later stages of flowering, it is not advisable to prune. many growers, including me, tend to keep their plants not pruned enough a they go into flowering, and the rapid stretch of flowering causes overcrowding. I still fight this habit lol a pic will help us tell if and what pruning your plant requires