THE LADY BEHIND THE CAMERA

I officially kicked off my Bay Area portrait photography business at the start of 2020. And … I know, right?! FORTUNATELY, it turned out to be an excellent year to provide professional outdoor portraits!

Thanks to my prior experiences photographing travel and the major SF protests and marches, and trying to document my own very busy kids’ lives (which included a lot of travel–and a blog!), it was easy to adapt to whatever the conditions (and energy levels!) called for.

My passion for capturing people’s unique personalities and connections to each other has only grown. So it’s a tremendous honor to have Shelly Rivoli Photography voted a Best of El Cerrito 2025 winner!

Here’s a little more of the backstory that led me here — and continues to influence the work I create, while shaping other projects and pursuits as well.

Street Creds

Photographer – My travel photography and photojournalism have been published in newspapers, magazines and books on four continents. Some of my North American credits include the National Geographic Daily Dozen, LA Times, Westways Magazine, Texas Journey and the Conde Nast Special Commemorative Issue Rise Up! The Women’s Marches Around The World (2017) –where my photo from the San Francisco Women’s March was used as the opening two-page spread. And being “multi-passionate” about my pursuits, it won’t surprise you to learn that I also sell fine art photography prints and wall art, much of it featuring another passion: abstract botanical artwork – check it out!

Storyteller – My travel writing has won several awards, including Lowell Thomas Awards, Solas Awards for Best Travel Writing from Travelers’ Tales Publishing, and multiple awards from the North American Travel Journalists Association. My most recent guidebook is Hiking with Kids Southern California: 45 Great Hikes for Families (2023, Globe Pequot), which includes 5 of our amazing California national parks among other great places to explore.