Digital photographs are wonderful, but the way we are using digital photograph is continually changing, and is the value of the digital images being devalued by the sheer volume of data? The development of machine learning allows to search engines to scan the internet for image matches too. Our mobile apps are regurgitating images from our past and inviting to share them once again. The machine learning notifications can often seem like a lucky dip whether apps highlights useful memories or meaningless distractions, nothing can replace our perspective on the data we collect and keep.

I acquired my first digital camera 25 years ago, then the resolution was very poor back. I remember a photographer told me in the 90s they never used a digital camera because it was simply not good enough. Since my first camera I have had several devices, and now most of us have a high-quality camera built into our mobile phones. Digital photograph has come of age and easily equals the quality of film emulsion cameras.

I rarely delete my old photos even some the poor ones I have kept. Over 25 years my collection is a well over 130 Gigabytes. Making sense of it has been quite a challenge to create organise a filing system. I found the best way was to divide my camera imports into folders for each of different devices model names with respective sub folders for either subjects and/or dates depending on how the import software had groups the files together. The fact is that the photo editing, viewing and organising files has continually changed over the last 25 years so that by now none of the original data has been collected and filed in a consistent way.

Making stored data useful

Having time to reflect, organise and present photographic can be a rewarding experience few of us have the luxury of being able to do. The Christmas holidays can provide a good time to this when the weather is cold and there is little else to do after the festivities. This year it was a delight finding my first digital photos taken in November 2000. Photos of my old school mate Simon H Fell playing Double Bass gig at the Grapes in Sheffield, we had been close friends at school studying music together (see my post “Forte non Ignave”, March 2022). I took a few action shots of his performance; it was an opportunity to meet up briefly for chat in the interval. Before meeting in Sheffield it had been years since we had met up. The last occasion being in London where we jammed somewhere with a group of musicians in Hackney, London in the early 1980s. I remember I had been involved using my own electronic invention called the squeal box an unpredictable signal processor capable of producing loud distortion.

It was a completely chance encounter turning up to the Sheffield gig at the Grapes pub, I found out about it Simon’s website “Bruce’s Fingers”. He was playing with an ensemble called “Something Else” (Paul Hession on drums, Mick Beck on tenor saxophone, & bassoon). Despite the poor quality of the camera, I think the photos capture something of atmosphere and frenetic action of the evening.

At the gig Simon invited me to the premier of his composition, “Kaleidozyklen” which was taking place a few days later. Kaleidozyklen was a 60-minute piece for improvising double bassist and orchestra (The LS Two Ensemble) that was divided into two chamber groups each with its own conductor. The BBC were there at the Clothworkers’ Hall, Leeds University to record the concert.

It was a complicated piece and premier performance that didn’t entirely go to plan. There was considerable difficulty ending the piece, I remember a dramatic crescendo and then Simon suddenly stopping playing with outstretched arms indicated two zeros in an attempt signalling the conductors to end the piece. Unfortunately, only one of the conductors failed to comply and the piece continued for a few bars before finally coming to a close. Nevertheless, at the end the crowd responded with rapturous applause having enjoyed the resolution of this tense climax to Simon’s performance.

It was the last time I would get an opportunity to see to Simon, and we laughed and joked about the ending. I remember he said, “These kids don’t know about improvising.” recounting how he had told the pianist at rehearsal to literally “Get into the piano!” (See post “Genius, Musician and Friend” May 2021 an incite into experimental piano techniques used by Simon H Fell)

Meeting him and experiencing the concert inspired me, I had been working on compositions using fractals, experimenting with a program called FracMus2000 I created a composition comprise of three groups of synthetic instruments divided by tempo, key and timbre to create this piece called “Afterfall”.