What you are watching is a little slideshow from my year of shooting since winning the grant.  I hope you enjoy it.
Thank you again to Candy, Celeste, and everyone else involved with the Follow the Light Foundation for helping support my passion and love of photography.

Happy Shooting!

Highlights:

• Staff Photographer at Surfer Magazine
• Surfer Poll Photo of the Year Winner – Greg Long
• Two covers in the same year – Greg Long and Ryan Burch

• Signed up and now represented by A-Frame Photo and has been featured in campaigns from Vans, DaKine, Sector9 and most recently a FUEL TV installation in the Denver International Airport.

The project I’ve taken on is a monumental task, and I love every moment of it, especially the hard times. Half frozen on a desolate beach covered in snow during the middle of a blizzard capturing mediocre chest high surf laughing to myself just thinking ahead to the six hour drive I’ll make up North later that day to capture the same thing in a different state. Paddling alone with my camera to man-eating slabs half mile out to sea, showing my artwork in galleries and watching people get real close, countless hours behind a computer learning new technologies, drives across the country documenting a struggling band’s self paid US tour, Fall on Long Island, Winter in Maine, breakfast in Puerto Rico, dinner in Idaho, layovers in Minnesota, sleeping in the middle of nowhere driving to California, taking in every moment and smiling. I don’t think I’ve ever smiled as much as I have in the last year.

I don’t know what the future holds for me, but these past two years have been phenomenal, and going by that, it looks like it will never rain again.”

View Finalists.

Ray Collins, Australia
Strengths: “A profound depth to the quality of his photography for only shooting such a short time. Nothing gimmicky, no smoke and mirrors, just a beautiful show of waves and surfing”

Myles McGuiness, Oceanside
Strengths: “Fresh and completely innocent look to photographing California”

Brian Nevins, New Hampshire
Strengths: “His portfolio has a life and soul to it. A very emotional display of photography”

Patrick Ruddy, Florida
Strengths: “A finalist from last years contest, Ruddy displayed a whole new portfolio made up of mostly this years work showing how determined he is for the grant”

Carl Steindler, Laguna Hills
Strengths: “Very modern surf photography without overstretching the boundaries. Cool and hip display of work”

The 4th Annual Follow the Light Foundation Dinner in memory of Larry “Flame” Moore will take place on Thursday October 22nd 2009 at The Surfing Heritage Museum. The winner will be announced at that time.
Thursday October 22, 2009
6PM-10PM
Generously hosted by
The Surfing Heritage Foundation
110 Calle Iglesia
San Clemente • CA • 92672
www.SurfingHeritage.org
(949) 388-0313
$45 per person in advance (paid reservation by Oct. 19)
$55 Oct. 20-22nd
$400 for a table of ten
To pay by check:
Please send name, address, phone number and e-mail address to:
Follow the Light Foundation
23 Terraza Del Mar
Dana Point, Ca.
92629
Make checks payable to “Follow the Light Foundation”

For more information contact Celeste Moureaux at:
Celeste@Followthelightfoundation.org
Special Thanks to The Surfing Heritage Foundation for graciously hosting this event, the judges for their time in selection of the finalists and to our sponsors SURFING, Hurley, SWELL and Oakley.

Thursday October 22, 2009
6PM-10PM

Generously hosted by the

Surfing Heritage Foundation
110 Calle Iglesia
San Clemente · CA · 92672
SurfingHeritage.org
(949) 388-0313

$45 per person in advance (paid reservation by Oct. 19)
$55 Oct. 20-22nd

Reservation details

On or before Oct. 19th $45.00 Oct. 20 – 22nd $55.00 Table of Ten $400.00

We are pleased to announce that we are extending the deadline for our 2009 applications from Aug. 17 to Aug. 31, 2009. The winner of the grant for this year will now be announced on October 22, 2009 during the 2009 Follow the Light Recipient Dinner to be held on at the Surfing Heritage Museum in San Clemente, CA.

SAN CLEMENTE, CA- For the fourth year in a row, the Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF) will award $5000 to a deserving photographer in honor of the late Larry “Flame” Moore. The FTLF was founded after Moore’s passing in the attempt to continue his legacy of assisting up and coming photographers. Photographers of all ability levels are encouraged to participate. The application and details can be found on the FTLF website

The FTLF is proud to be working with Surfing Magazine, SWELL, Hurley, Surfline and Oakley to provide this year’s grant.

SAN CLEMENTE, CA- For the fourth year in a row, the Follow the Light Foundation (FTLF) will award $5000 to a deserving photographer in honor of the late Larry “Flame” Moore. The FTLF was founded after Moore’s passing in the attempt to continue his legacy of assisting up and coming photographers.  Photographers of all ability levels are encouraged to participate.  The application and details can be found on the FTLF website.

Applications will be due August 31st, 2009.  The grant recipient will be chosen by a panel of judges chosen by the FTLF.  This year’s recipient will be announced on October 22, 2009.

The FTLF is proud to be working with Surfing Magazine, SWELL, Hurley, Surfline and Oakley to provide this year’s grant. The 2009 Follow the Light Grant Recipient Dinner will be held at the Surfing Heritage Foundation on October 22, 2009.

Held at the Surfing Heritage Museum in San Clemente, the event awards $5,000 to the up-and-coming photographer who impressed the judges in both his body of work and essay explaining what he’ll do with the grant. With more than 60 entries this year, the Surfing Heritage Foundation Photo Committee deliberated long and hard to select a winner from the five finalists. When it came down to it, Glaser eked out a three-point win over fellow finalist Zak Noyle, the equivalent of winning by .10 in a WCT heat. “It was so close between the two,” said SURFING photo editor Peter Taras. “Too close for one person to call, really. Which is why we had 10 judges and a point system.”

Besides Hawaiian Zak Noyle’s inspiring body of work, other finalists included Santa Cruz’s Ryan Craig, San Clemente’s Shawn Parkin and Florida’s Patrick Ruddy. With his grant, Glaser plans to create a traveling art gallery of surf images, start work on a book project on local surfers and donate some of the money to his late friend, Matthew Joyce’s cystic fibrosis foundation. “The most fulfilling thing for me is to dream up an image in my head and go out and make it,” he said. “And this grant will help me do that.”

This is all in line with why the Follow the Light Foundation came to be in the first place. After SURFING photo editor Larry “Flame” Moore’s passing in October 2005, FTL was formed to help keep the Flame legacy alive. Flame had a special gift of teaching young photographers and making them the best they can be, which is why the grant is awarded to a young, inspired photographer on the rise.

Which makes Glaser a perfect fit alongside past winners Chris Burkard and Matt Clark. He’s driven, he’s gutsy and his passion for surf photography burns on high. Look for his work in the pages of surf magazines worldwide. We’re confident you’ll be seeing a lot more of it.

View the Entries:

Todd Glasser Grant Winner!

Zak Noyle

Ryan Craig

Shawn Parkin

Patrick Ruddy

Tickets to this event are available for purchase online via Paypal.