Originally trained as an architect and musician, Forelli was drawn to photography because it shared with architecture and music "the demand for a fine balance between aesthetic sensibility and craft. If you alter the balance, you run the risk of becoming overly conceptual or preoccupied with technique."

Forelli has lectured at Photo Expo and the Art Director's Club and teaches at the International Center of Photography in New York City, New Jersey Heritage Workshops, Peter's Valley Workshop program and the Maine Photographic Workshops in addition to giving private tutorials. He co-founded the New York Photographer's Forum to help uncover the work of new photographers and regularly juries exhihibitions. Top awards have been awarded to him from Communication Arts, Archive and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. The new York Times praised his "otherworldly lighting" and "intense compositions" noting that Forelli‚s images "tease perception with their ghostlike forms."

Chip Forelli lives in the Delaware Valley of Pennsylvania with his wife Gloria and three sons Jake, Cris and Ryan.