Jose Gomez was born into a large family that migrated from Mexico to California when he was a teenager. He first took up photography as a hobby while in the Army. After determining that photography would be his chosen career, he earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the Center for Creative Studies, and a Master's in Fine Arts from Wayne State University.

Gomez has documented his many return visits to his homeland, and currently concentrates on his personal account of how a Catholic émigré fits into the United States. "As an immigrant, I feel the need to document what it's like coming here," says Gomez. "I concentrate on the intricate quality that life presents for me and others, whose culture becomes intertwined with another."