After getting his BFA in painting from The Ohio State University in the early 1970s, Shively become one of the most respected commercial photographers in the field, with clients including Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria’s Secret, Express, DSW, BalletMet, MTV, Cole Haan, Simon and Schuster, Abbott Labs, The Ohio State University, Eli Lilly and Sports Authority. In the early 1990s, he transitioned to a career as an art photographer, primarily using film development and layering of 35mm slides to create impressionistic “paintings” and expand the boundaries of what defines conventional photography.