Born in Havana to a family of artists, Magdalena Herrera left Cuba as a child and settled in Paris, where she studied fine art and art history at the Sorbonne before starting her career as a graphic designer and art director. She has worked in book and magazine publishing, spending ten years as Art Director and Head of the Photo Department at National Geographic France before joining GEO France as Director of Photography.
Alongside her journalistic work, Magdalena Herrera runs workshops and seminars around the world. She has taught photojournalism at the École Supérieure de Sciences Po, Paris.
She is regularly invited to serve as a jury member at international photography competitions and was Chair of the 2018 World Press Photo contest.