A member of the American Society of Cinematographers, Shelly Johnson is a well-known cinematographer, mainly working in Hollywood. He, in collaboration with Joe Johnston, has worked on numerous popular Hollywood films such as Jurassic Park III, The Wolfman, and Captain America: The First Avenger.

Johnson started his career with the film Maid to Order in 1987. He has worked on various TV films and mini-series such as Everybody's Baby: The Rescue of Jessica McClure and TV series The Shining, a remake of the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film.

Johnson's major breakthrough was the film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. He went on to work on numerous films such as The Last Castle, Hidalgo, The House Bunny, Sky High, and The Wolfman. His other projects include The Expendables 2, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Wild Card, Man Down, A Family Man and The Hurricane Heist.