Ottawa photographer Derek Hille got his first camera when he was eight or nine years old. “I was a very observant kid,” he says.
He studied photography, and after years of taking pictures as a hobby, people started coming to him, asking for portraits and other shots. After he was asked to take photos for Ottawa’s Capital Pride (August 22 to 30, 2026), his career in the LGBTQ2S+ community started to take off. He collaborates with queens to help them build a persona.
Pink Ticket Travel asked Hille about his work with queens, and what he recommends visitors check out to discover LGBTQ2S+ Ottawa.
When did you start taking photos of drag queens?
One of the first photoshoots I did with a drag queen was probably 2012—a long time ago. Some of my best friends have been drag queens, so it’s only natural that I’d be like, “Hey yeah, let’s take your photos, let’s build your portfolio.” They would get me into shows and I’d take their photos. We’d just work on building their persona, doing character building and that kind of thing. As some of them were going on Canada’s Drag Race, they asked me to take photos. I’ve worked with Kimmy Couture, Aimee Yoncé Shennel, Kiki Coe, KARAMILK, Icesis Couture… I love drag because it fuses beauty, performance, art and technical things into one. It’s like a creative orgasm.
You grew up in Ottawa, a city that doesn’t have a reputation for being Canada’s most exciting city, though it’s got a lot of museums and history. How do you find it and how has it changed over the years?
I hear all the time how it’s the most boring city, but I try to ignore that because I don’t think it’s true. It’s got small interesting communities within it that you don’t see right away. You can have a creative life here if you’re creative enough and if you’re social enough. Drag is a good way to get introduced to everything because drag queens are so loud, with big personalities and big mouths. Just ask a drag queen, “How do I have fun here?” and they’ll answer you.
When friends visit Ottawa, what are the top things you tell them to do?
Definitely the Rideau Canal, which in the winter turns into the world’s longest skating rink, which is cool. Skating on the canal is a nice experience, or in warm weather, biking or walking along it. You can follow it from downtown to the Central Experimental Farm, which is a really beautiful area with trills and hills where you can chill and be on your own almost in the middle of the city. They have ornamental gardens and an arboretum with lots of different kinds of trees.
There are a lot of museums, but my top pick would be the Canadian Museum of History (100 Rue Laurier, Gatineau), which is across the Ottawa River from Ottawa proper. The architecture, designed by Douglas Cardinal, is fantastic. They have amazing exhibits and a theatre where they’ll have talks and screen documentaries. My second favourite is the Canadian Museum of Nature (240 McLeod St., Ottawa), because the building is like a castle and they have giant dinosaur sculptures. I remember going as a kid and thinking it was the best thing ever.
Ottawa used to have a museum of photography. Where would I go these days to see photos?
SPAO: Photographic Arts Centre (77 Pamilla St., Ottawa) has some excellent exhibits. I would also go to the Ottawa Art Gallery (50 Mackenzie King Bridge, Ottawa). The National Gallery of Canada (380 Sussex Dr., Ottawa) always has something pretty interesting happening.
Okay, you’ve filled up my days. Where should I go out at night?
Here are my top three gay bars in Ottawa. The Lookout Bar (Second floor, 41 York St., Ottawa) is the classic place. It’s been in the ByWard Market since 1996. They always have drag shows. It’s busy every weekend with lots of loud, fun music and dancing.The crowd is a mix of everybody, though on the weekend I would say it’s a bit younger. If there are Canada’s Drag Race or RuPaul’s Drag Race characters in town, this is where they will go.
My number two is T’s Pub (323 Somerset St. W., Ottawa). It reminds me of what Centretown Pub used to be. [When it closed in 2017, Centretown Pub was the oldest gay bar in Ottawa.] The place is just ’round the clock, ’round the year gay Pride. There are older guys, younger guys, lesbians night, drag night, dance night, karaoke night. Lookout has all those as well, but I find T’s more diverse, the crowd a bit older. The staff is always really lovely and everybody’s really friendly.
It’s a tossup for my number three spot. Sky Lounge (Top floor, 73 York St., Ottawa) is a giant sports bar with big screen TVs, a big bar in the middle, a little stage and all these windows looking out. It’s a very open concept and they hold events there, like Drag Race viewing parties.
My other suggestion is House of TARG (1077 R. Bank Street, Ottawa), which is kind of an underground alternative venue that has an LGBTQ2S+ presence. They have punk there, they have drag there. You can play old vintage pinball machines and arcade games and eat pierogies. I’ll go there to watch a drag show or a punk show. There are a lot of punks in Ottawa, actually. GRIDWRKS (221 Rideau St., Ottawa) has a high-quality state-of-the-art sound system. They have really good parties there—rave nights, drag nights, all kinds of things.
A lot of these places are in the Gay Village along Bank Street at Somerset Street. That’s where you’ll find the rainbow crosswalk. You’ll also find many cute restaurants, coffee places and shops along there.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
