Tchotchke's International Tour Diary with the Diana Mini and Fisheye No. 2

Eva Chambers, bassist of all-female band Tchotchke, is a veteran Lomographer, strictly shooting film as much as possible. For the band's recent tours in North America and Europe, Eva captured tons of memories with the Fisheye No. 2 and Diana Mini cameras by her and her bandmates' sides!

Hi Eva, welcome to Lomography Magazine! Can you tell us about your band, Tchotchke?

We're an all-female 3-piece group based in NYC. Anastasia on drums and lead vocals, Emily on guitar, and I'm on bass.

Can you tell us about your recent international tour?

We did a five week North American tour supporting King Tuff, and then a 2-week European tour supporting The Lemon Twigs. Both were so much fun!

How did you discover Lomography?

I think I was in 6th grade when I first heard of Lomography. I remember my sister getting a hot pink fisheye and being super jealous. I asked for La Sardina for Christmas that year. My most recent Lomography purchase was the Lomo'Instant Square Glass and I love it!

How were the Fisheye and Diana Mini perfect companions for shooting throughout the tour?

It's great to travel with cameras that are lightweight and affordable while passing through so many different locations. On a tour last year, I lost my Contax t2 and didn't even know which city I left it in (it was later found!) I instantly regretted bringing such a precious and pricey camera on the road. I love the cinematic, 'Zeissy' quality of the Contax, but the Diana Mini and Fisheye definitely better captured the fun spirit of the tour. Plus, their bright-colored and funky-shaped bodies make them pretty difficult to misplace. Both inspired me to step out of my comfort zone of taking carefully composed photos, and shoot a bit more spontaneously. They also fit perfectly into the pockets of my jacket.

Can you tell us about what you shot throughout the tour?

These were all taken in March - June of this year. They're mostly candids of my bandmates and touring party hanging out. The Fisheye was great for group shots, and selfies – I didn't realize how many selfies I had taken until I got the film back.

What's your favorite part about touring?

Aside from playing music, I get to travel the world with my best friends. It is so special and crazy that we get to do that.

Do you have a favorite shot from either camera?

The Diana Mini's shot of Anastasia wearing Kyle's (King Tuff) wizard costume is probably one of my favorites. He has a show bit where he says he forgot something backstage, runs off, and returns in full wizard attire. Our (lazy and last minute) April Fool's Day prank was to stick nipple tassel pasties on to his wizard coat before the speedy costume change. This is Anastasia trying it on to check our nipple placement.

My favorite Fisheye shot is of Anastasia on the red carpet of our airbnb. It looks like she's about to crawl out of the photo! It's a nice example of the fisheye's impressive depth of field, which was so fun to play around with. There's not much of a story behind this one. We had just finished an eight hour drive and were feeling silly.

Do you have any upcoming projects or shows in the works that you can share?

We're playing at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn on August 17! It's our last show for a while because we're taking a break to work on new material.

Thank you so much for sharing your photos with us! Any last words to our community?

I hope we can all keep this medium alive forever!

To keep up with Tchotchke and their music, check out their Instagram and website!

written by eloffreno on 2023-07-23 #gear #culture #people #music #nyc #rock-band #diana-mini #indie-rock #fisheye-no-2 #tour-diary