Granite Fortress cropped or uncropped

On the way to The CANP gathering heading north on 395 climbing the Sherwin grade, the Granite Fortress on the West side finally had the right conditions to make an image. Side light and clouds among the peaks. I was wondering in processing I cropped out all of a brightly lit fg hill. So my question is was that the right thing to do, did I properly emphasize my main subject or remove all of the context. To crop or not to crop that is the question? I'll post the cropped version first. Olympus E-500 ISO 125 f11 1/80

And the more complete uncropped version. Oh to another thread that was recently posted this would be a "snapshot" to me.

Paul, I prefer the cropped version. The bright fg area seems to be too much of an attention grabber over the primary Granite Fortress and cloud cover. I think the side lighting is a key factor in the very open area scene here. Pretty darn nice for a "snapshot".

I agree w/ Paul B. I think leaving the FG actually makes those peaks look smaller than they are.

It's funny, but as a snapshot, I actually like the foreground arc. It gives the scene some life.

I like the crop but If you kept the fg version i'd crop the edge to make that hill a little more significant. Then it would make me want to crop the sky just above the lowest defined clouds. Nice light on Wheeler's Fortress.

I prefer the cropped version.

I like the cropped version as well. I've always liked this ridge and the way it rises above the valley floor.

Personally I really like the shape, color and sense of place and depth that hill adds to the image. I think the image is much more dynamic with it. That said, I wonder if a version with a little more hill and less sky would strike a stronger balance? Nice light and scenery.

I think Eric summed it up very nicely, my thoughts exactly.

Michael, I agree with the others, the cropped version carries much more impact. Best Regards.