For a couple of months, I’ve been following an interesting Instagram account that features pictures of places and events in the city. The pictures are always so well done and have good catchy captions. However, one thing that really fascinated me is that you never see a single selfie nor a picture of the person who takes the shots. In others words, we can say it’s an “anonymous” account. Anyway, since I am quite curious by nature, I had to track down the owner of the account, Little Miss Ottawa, and get an interview with her.
Her Campus: Hello Little Miss Ottawa, thank you for granting us this interview. I am so excited!
Little Miss Ottawa: It’s my pleasure, I am happy that you contacted me.
HC: So, who is Little Miss Ottawa?
LMO: I’m a born and raised Ottawa girl. (Laughs) I love to travel and visit new cities. When I visit new cities I try and see and do as much as I can, so I thought, why not do this in Ottawa. I am very interested in photography and figured why not pair this with my appreciation for Ottawa.
HC: Why did you start this project in the first place?
LMO: Ottawa is a great city with a unique charm. Ottawa often gets called boring but there is so much to do and see in this city if you know where to look. I love when people comment that they checked out an event I posted about or I inspired them to be more active in seeing Ottawa. There’s always somewhere to go or something to do. It’s cool to see the perspective of the city through different pictures.
HC: So, for any of us who follow you, we notice that your account is anonymous. We don’t know who is behind the lense. Why do you choose to keep it a secret?
LMO: It’s true that I want to stay anonymous, because I feel it’s more interesting that way. This way it keeps the focus on Ottawa. Some people in my entourage know the truth, but not everyone. I think it adds some mystery because people wonder who Little Miss Ottawa is.
HC: Why did you choose the name “Little Miss Ottawa”? Do you do pageants?
LMO: I get that from so many people. (Laughs) However, the answer is no. I never did anything related to pageants. I chose the name because it stands out and because it’s cute.
HC: You are also involved with Wingd, an online magazine. Tell us about that.
LMO: Indeed, I started writing for them about a year ago in September. The co-owner, Zainab, contacted me the first week that I did my Instagram account and she wanted to get me involved their website. I write a few articles here and there for them.
HC: Do you have a website?
LMO: No, I don’t. I do have an Instagram and Twitter account where I post about one picture a day. The pictures come with long descriptions of the places I visit or events that I am invited to.
HC: Do you take your own pictures?
LMO: Guilty! (Laughs) A lot of photos were taken with my iPhone, but I bought a new camera a few months ago and now my Instagram is a mix of the two.
HC: Where do you see yourself and Little Miss Ottawa in the next five years?
LMO: It’s too early in my career to think that far ahead yet. Everything is still new for me, so I will just wait and see where things go. I do hope for newer things and to make connections along the way.
HC: Do you have any partners or sponsors?
LMO: I don’t have sponsors nor partners, but I am open to whoever wants to collaborate with me. For example, the Ottawa Wine and Food Show asked me to cover their event; it was fun.
HC: Thank you for the interview. Is there anything you want to say to our readers?
LMO: Yes, in fact, I want to take the time to thank my followers. It was an awesome year. I met the best people and a big thank you to everyone who comments on my posts. I want you to know that I am not taking anything for granted. Thank you and keep following my journey.
If you want to follow Little Miss Ottawa’s adventures, you can do so here.
Picture credits:
The pictures were taken by Little Miss Ottawa except for the cover which is from @_finn.