Jose Saldana is a globe-trotting, mountain-climbing, photographer of Puerto Rican descent from Philadelphia. Jose experienced almost total loss of hearing by the time he was 2 years old. In middle school, Jose exhibited a fascination toward the snow-capped peaks of the Himalayan Mountains in Nepal. He spent hours reading National Geographic Magazines and marveling over the photography of the world’s tallest mountains. The serene peaks and their overwhelming silence appealed to the young man. It was a fascination that stayed with him. Jose Saldana was fortunate to attend high school at Washington’s Model Secondary School for the Deaf, part of Gallaudet University. At this point, Jose set his sights on a life of travel, mountain-climbing, and photography. From 2005 to 2016, Jose climbed more than 40 mountains ranging in heights up to 18,900 feet. He has reached the peaks of mountains in Colorado, Italian Alps, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta, Argentina, New Mexico, Arizona
