David Windsor (1932–2013) was born in Detroit and entered the Institute of Design (ID) in Chicago in 1949, initially intending to pursue a career in architecture. In the summer of 1950, he interned with Buckminster Fuller in New York City. He later shifted his focus to photography but was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953, before completing his degree. During his military service (1953–1955), he was stationed in Tokyo, where he reconnected with his close friend and fellow Institute of Design student, photographer Yasuhiro Ishimoto.
After leaving the Army in 1955, Windsor returned to Chicago, where he spent the next decade assisting Kenneth Heilbron, one of the city’s most respected and successful photographers. During this period, he also worked as a photographer for the City of Chicago Building Task Force and freelanced for designers, magazines, and corporate clients. In addition, he worked as a cameraman on commercial and nonprofit short films while pursuing his own photographic essays. In 1963, his work was included in Photography 1963: An International Exhibition at George Eastman House.
From 1965 to 1969, Windsor served as a photographer for the Department of Development and Public Affairs at the University of Chicago. He subsequently established an independent freelance practice, working with a wide range of corporate and nonprofit clients while continuing his personal photographic work.