More defoliation / lollipopping?

Doesn't look congested to me from these pics as far as any need to defoliate. As far as pruning off lower buds -- if familiar with your lights and typical depth of good buds, that's you guide. plant genetics play a role too - some can have 24" deep canopy of great buds under indoor lights. So, how much growth do you have left? Don't prune off too much. it's more art than science. Where the larf starts can be different on any plant and due to various factors in each garden. back to defoliation -- only remove leaves for a specific reason. Don't defoliate just to defoliate or some as part of some habitual behaviour. The products of photosynthesis are as mobile as water is in the phloem. Light hitting a lower bud is not what prevents larf, unless you are going extreme with side and under lightnig, then you can have an effect akin to the sun with good buds everywhere, but a few extra rays penetrating because you removed a bud with some indoor lights above? That's not doing anything and if it reduces photosynthesis potential of the plant, it only hurts yield. Removing leaves also reduces transpiration, which is how the plant gets 99% of its carbon.