Larry "Flame" Moore (June 17, 1948-)

The Largest Surfing Encyclopedia

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Front-lit, bright and blasting with color. Today they call it "Larry Light." But Larry Moore's obsession with perfect lighting did more than make pretty pictures -- it altered the course of surfing. His commitment to excellence is responsible for the careers of many top photographers, the pioneering of several world-class breaks and the success of Surfing magazine. Flame was the publication's first photo editor -- a position he held for some 30 years.

The son of an L.A. County fireman, Larry Owen Moore was born in Whittier, California. As a teen, his jobs included making lunch bags at the Crown Zellerback Corporation, sorting mail at Christmas and cutting fat at Kentucky Fried Chicken. He began surfing as a teenager in Huntington with Belmont Shores neighbor Steve Walden, now a successful shaper. Moore later rode for Harbour Surfboards out of Seal Beach, a team that won the Western Intercollegiate Surfing Council Championship. The shop's owner, Rich Harbour, served as a mentor and hired him for various jobs around the factory. A graduate of Pioneer High School, Moore attended Long Beach State in hopes of becoming a teacher. But with the county facing one of its most turbulent times in history, change was imminent.

"A friend of mine came by late one night and said he may never see me again," recalls Moore. "He was on his way to Canada to avoid going to Vietnam and he owed me some money. He gave me this Pentax K 1000 with a Takumar 400 lens. Then all my friends wanted me to takes pictures of them surfing." He did, and it wasn't long before The Surf Guide published his first photo, a shot of John Van Ornum taken from atop the Huntington Pier. Harbour, who had a photo lab, suggested Moore take to the water and helped him construct a housing for his camera.

By the time Moore graduated from college in 1970 (with a minor in photography), he was a regular contributor to Surfing magazine. Spared from Vietnam himself, thanks to surf bumps and other minor ailments, he took a position with the magazine shooting photos and working in the dark room. After quitting to embark on an around-the-world journey, he returned and soon became the magazine's first photo editor. At the time, Surfing was struggling for recognition after a short but tumultuous past, and Moore's work ethic offered the necessary stability. His fiery red hair landed him the nickname "Flame," soon to be one of the most recognizable names in surf photography.

He moved to San Juan Capistrano and found the perfect studio at neighboring Salt Creek, a hollow closeout with perfect lighting and an endless stream of talented young pros. The wave allowed him to shoot cover shots all morning and still be in the office bright and early. Moore's abilities, along with those of his apprentices -- including Aaron Chang, Bob Barbour, Dick Meseroll and many others -- gave the magazine a reputation for photographic excellence. It may not have always equaled rival Surfer in terms of editorial content, but it was visually superior and the kids loved it.

Far from content to rest on his Salt Creek laurels, Moore scrutinized the coast in search of fresh waves to photograph. In the '80s, he played a key role in popularizing the left at Lower Trestles, the sand bottom barrels of Isla Natividad and the pre-Maverick's big-wave rush at Todos Santos. In his free time, he became something of a sailing fanatic, building his own 38-foot boat, which he finished in 1984.

In studying nautical charts of the ocean off California, he set his aim on Cortes Bank, a mission that would become his crowning achievement. "I was always intrigued by Cortes," he says. "I'd heard tall tales from Flippy Hoffman and Phil Edwards, but no one had claimed to have surfed it. I was mesmerized by it, this thing sitting in the middle of the ocean, and thought, 'God, waves should break out there.'" In 1990, Moore led a recognizance mission during a big swell and returned with photographic proof of its potential. Eleven years and countless hours of research later, his dream was realized when all the elements finally came together on January 19, 2001. Moore led a team of photographers, video crews and tow-in surfers in a monumental session that opened the boundaries of big-wave surfing.

Aside from the Cortes adventure, Moore spent most of his time on land, residing in Dana Point with wife Candice and son Colin, born in 1987. After a short-lived stint as photo editor at Swell.com, he returned to Surfing in 2001. Two years later, doctors discovered a brain tumor, which he valiantly fought through several surgeries and ongoing treatments for more than two-and-half years.

Through out it all, his work ethic never faltered: if he wasn't shooting Salt Creek, he was first in the office sorting photos and fielding calls from any number of world-class staffers, both established and up-and coming. Furthermore, he worked with longtime colleague Nick Carroll to pen a biography/portfolio --30 Years of Flame -- best described in the foreword as "a record of a man's lifework -- the extraordinary, irascible, committed, passionate Flame, whose vision and skills give us reason to love our surfing all the more.""

Sadly, on October 10, 2005, Flame succumbed to the cancer -- but not before SIMA could honor him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. And in a tribute to his work ethic and his legacy of mentoring young talents, his family and colleagues soon founded the Follow the Light Foundation which awards an annual grant to one rising photographer, announcing the winner with a ceremony on the day of his passing. To date, the list includes Chris Burkard (2006), Matt Clark (2007), Todd Glasser (2008) and Ray Collins (2009). Many of whom continue to exhibit the same tireless commitment to getting 'the shot' -- even if it means sacrificing a few waves themselves and surfing as Moore would:"Only when it's completely overcast."

-- Jason Borte (updated, December 2009)