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Celebrities Who Shoot

Robert Tourtelot Renowned Litigator The Human Condition by Kerry Pieri Article rating: 8.57

Robert Tourtelot is a renowned litigator in the California firm of Tourtelot and Butler, best known for his high profile work in the OJ Simpson trial.  As the attorney for both Mark Fuhrman and the Goldman family, Tourtelot spent nearly 300 hours on television in 1995 appearing on shows from The Today Show to Larry King Live.  Tourtelot has represented many high profile names and institutions from stock brokerage firms and banks to the LA Dodgers.  He has been a volunteer judge pro-term, a special reserve police officer and was appointed to the Judicial Selection Advisory Board by former Governor Pete Wilson, to name just a few of his prestigious titles.  Amidst his demanding schedule and raising four children with his wife, Susan, Robert Tourtelot has found time to discover and rediscover his passion for photography.

Tourtelot’s interest in capturing the world on film began at a very young age.  “I was about eight or  ten,” he says, “ when I bought a Kodak box camera for a dollar at a second hand store and started taking portraits of the dog, my sisters and brothers, even of myself and developed them in my basement…I still have a scrapbook of some of those shots,” he recalls.

In the last four years, however, Tourtelot has committed a lot of time and energy to the craft of photography. “Digital cameras drew me back in and peaked my interest,” he says, “so I bought a two mega pixel Kodak and then switched to a 4 mega pixel Sony, to a Minolta Dimage 7 and finally to a Nikon D 100,” which he still uses.

He has also committed himself to learning formally, saying, “I’ve studied a lot at the UCLA extension school and completed a course at the New York Institute of Photography.” Returning to photography, he says “makes me look at the world differently…I love morning light and mid-afternoon light.” It has truly made him stop and look at the proverbial roses more.

In a sense, Robert Tourtelot could be categorized a travel photographer.  Although, he practices law full time and enjoys the courtroom experience he says with a laugh, “I would also love to be taking photographs of the camel trade all day,” (in reference to a trip he took to Egypt with Popular Photography last year).  He is also currently working on publishing a book, entitled Havana Viva, based on his travels to Cuba, where he visited twice last year.  Cuba, he says, “is especially intriguing because of the people, the music, the cars, the feeling of being in the 1950s, and the architecture.” “I went to Cuba to take pictures, to get to know the people, the kids,” he explains.

As a photographer of the human condition, Tourtelot elucidates, “I don’t believe in taking pictures of the homeless or those in dire straights.  The people of Cuba gave a great spirit.  Castro hasn’t broken their spirit; they love to laugh.”  (His next exotic destination with his wife is to the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur in April, which with a turn of good fortune, he won at a charity event.)

Robert Tourtelot photojournalistic approach reflects his opinions on the condition of contemporary photography, “I am of the firm belief there exists in Photography today a certain element of ‘elitism’ amongst certain well-known photographers, galleries and critics.”  He tends to prefer non-manipulated, straight prints ,”from time to time, you will see a photo of a building or a couple standing in a doorway, e.g. that is so out of focus that I want to laugh.  Of course the reviewer or whoever is commenting on the photo accepts the photographer’s explanation that it was shot this way on purpose to convey some sense of mystery or whatever.”   Over all, Tourtelot insists on giving credit where credit is due, not simply for a famous name, but for a truly successful photograph.  “People always say (the photographer) was just in the right place at the right time, but he works hard for that (image).”

Currently, Robert Tourtelot has come full circle to his youthful roots in portraiture, influenced, he says, by assignments, from photojournalism to glamour photography, at the New York Institute.  “I don’t like to see people pose,” he explains, “I tell the people in Cuba, ‘I don’t want to see any postcard shots’.”  “The study of portraiture,” he continues, “helps with the understating of lighting, from Rembrandt on.  It helps with the understanding (of photography).  It still amazes me how little I know…It really is an incredible field.”

Something tells me that this talented, learned and practiced photographer has far more knowledge of the art than he lets on. 

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	Good for you. Best of luck in the future. Proud to be related. Aloha Posted by: Nancy Tourtelot Sep 1, 2006 @ 1:41 AM EST
	More of Mr. Tourtelot's work can be seen <A href="http://tjic.com/?p=6135">here</a>. Posted by: anonymous Jun 22, 2007 @ 10:50 PM EST
	beautiful photographs. i particularly love the last one. she looks like a beautiful pin-up style air plane stewerdess. your passion for photography is obvious. its funny how you can pass a love for something down to someone you've never met, or even knew existed. i think you'd be proud of him. Posted by: anonymous Jun 4, 2008 @ 8:39 PM EST

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