Rosebush, your "artful" photos are just fine. They show exactly what we need to see!
>>>> I think what you are saying, please correct me if I am wrong, is to allow one of those four branches to have apical dominance by reducing the height of two of the other branches and eliminating the smallest branch to create a "form" for the canopy as the plant grows.
It's really the three hefty branches at the top that seem to want to "take over" that are of concern. The fourth, more laterally growing one, will just be a nice branch all on its own. Yes, I would recommend cutting one of the three hefty top branches completely off, where it junctures with the other two.
This will eliminate the odd branch configuration problem.
Which one you would cut off is up to you, but I would choose the most upright growing one to
keep for sure, even if it is not the largest. And yes, then you would prune back the other strong stem to encourage it to be subordinate to the most upright stem. If it suits you, there is nothing wrong with completely cutting the second off too, and leaving only one strong stem at the top. In fact, as I think about this more, leaving only one strong stem at the top is the better option. It will simplify pruning later on.
About the branch coming from ground level, if it were me, I would cut it off completely. This will keep your options open for later, and you will still be able to decide on a bush or tree form. If you keep that lowest branch, you've committed yourself to the bush style.
