This is my first grow, I'm wondering if it is a good idea to remove fan leaves to get more light in the budding sites.
Leaves are the solar panel that feed the buds. Most of the international master growers will tell you the same thing.
No. If you had dense leaves so that I couldn't see right down through your plant because you had so many, maybe there is a reason to remove one or two leaves. But if you remove one large fan leaf, that's about 10% of your entire leaf area, you can't afford to just cut off healthy leaves. Once again, definitely not.
Trimming leaves at the bottom, underneath the other leaves may give you more bud growth if they aren't receiving much light because the energy used to keep them going is more than the energy that they give the plant. That being said, never trim the leaves above the leaves thinking the buds actually use the light...it is the leaves that turn the light into energy to fuel the buds
Ed Rosenthal says leave the leaves alone..they are the engine that feeds your plant...very minor lollypopping might be ok..but I do mean MINOR.