David Herwaldt studied photography at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design. After teaching photography part-time at a number of institutions in and around Boston including the New England School of Photography, Wellesley College, and Harvard University (where he won an award for teaching excellence), he went on to study graphic design at the University of Iowa. Following the completion of his Master of Fine Arts degree in 2009, he joined the fine arts faculty of Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa where he now teaches both photography and graphic design. He regularly exhibits his photography and works as a freelance designer.