About


Hello! I’m James Gass and welcome my blog of craft beer, travel, and photography.

Yes, I know it seems like an odd combination for blog, but if you think about it, all three of those things fit together like a puzzle. And if you're wondering why I started this combo blog, the answer is simple. Since 2007, I've had a blogs dedicated to each of these, which became daunting so, I decided it was time to consolidate. Still confused? Let's dig a little deeper.

CRAFT BEER GEEK:
When I was younger (of drinking age of course) I loved trying new beers. This was before the craft beer explosion so, there wasn't a whole lot to choose from; especially in my small hometown of Thomasville, GA. A friend and I would usually end up driving 45 minutes south to Tallahassee, FL to see what we could find. We would essentially pick a beer that had a cool label and try it out to see how I liked it. Since we didn't have Untappd back then, we'd have to keep a notebook of what tasted good, what styles we liked, and which breweries where our favorites.

Fast forward to 2007, my love of craft beer hit a point where I wanted to share my experiences with the world. So, I started a podcast and a blog called Southern Beer Review. While the blog and podcast may be long gone, I still maintain the YouTube channel.
TRAVEL BUG:
I spent the last 26 years living in a typical small town where nothing ever happens and finding creativity was a struggle. Moving to South Florida, however, reignited my passion for photography and gave me the boost I needed to get my "creative juices" flowing.

In the short time we’ve been here, I discovered just how much there is to see, do, and experience. Living in South Florida has also solidified my belief that traveling doesn't have to involve long hours of driving, flying, or riding on a train. There is much to discover if you just drive 20 minutes in any direction from your front door. All of this has inspired me to share my experiences with you and bring you along as I explore my new home.

PHOTOGRAPHY:
In 2009 I started my film degree at the local university. Since the program was brand new, the school didn't have equipment for us to so, we had to buy our own. At this time, DSLRs just got the capability to record video so I picked up a Canon 60D and a couple of lenses. While I bought the camera for the purpose of video production, photography became a natural curiosity for me and I started learning as much as I can. These days I'm taking more photographs than I'm producing videos. In my opinion, there is no better place to share your photos than an actual website so, this is where I'm going to share mine. If you're wondering what gear I'm using, I'm trying out Canon's mirrorless system with their EOS M3. This is actually a really good camera for the price, but I would recommend you pick up the EF adapter so you can use EF and EF-S lenses.

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