Dow earned his B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees from the Rhode Island School of Design, in graphic design and photography, respectively. Dow has since taught photography at Harvard University, Tufts University, and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Dow’s work has been exhibited internationally, and he has received awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the LEF Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation. He was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1974.