Meet Jesse & Susan
Two Canadian nature photographers who met over a photo, fell in love in Algonquin Park, and now get to share it with you.
Muskoka Is Our Home. Algonquin Is Our Playground.
We’re Jesse and Susan Villemaire, wildlife photographers and educators living in Baysville, on Lake of Bays. Nature and photography have been the foundation of our connection from the very first message.
We spend most mornings in Algonquin Park, usually before sunrise, hoping a moose steps out of the mist. The rest of the time we’re teaching: private workshops in the park, Lightroom days at our cottage table, camera club talks across Canada, and international photography workshops and safaris with our friends at Finisterra Travel.
For us, a workshop is more than settings and gear. It’s a chance to slow down, feel something, and leave with photos that remind you how it felt to be out there.
Our Algonquin Love Story
A first date, a proposal and a wedding, all in the same park. People who love Algonquin tend to love this part.
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2013–2014 · Cambridge to Muskoka
“Just Follow Me North”
Long before there was a business, Jesse bought a little cottage in Muskoka in 2013 and started driving up from Cambridge almost every weekend to explore Algonquin. When friends admired his moose photos, he’d tell them to come along: “just follow me north.” In 2014 he registered followmenorth.com and started dreaming about leading workshops in the park.
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Early 2018 · A message about a photo
Found on #AlgonquinPark
Scrolling through Instagram’s #AlgonquinPark hashtag, Jesse came across photos of Susan and her friends camping in the park. She was the only one holding a camera. Her profile was full of great photos, so he sent her a quick note.
It took her a while to reply, but she did. With our busy, clashing schedules, weekly messages turned into daily ones, then into one long text chain.
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May 27, 2018 · Algonquin’s 125th birthday
The First Date
We’d never heard each other’s voices. Jesse picked Susan up in Toronto after work and we drove north, talking the whole way.
The next day we went looking for moose along Highway 60 on the park’s 125th anniversary. Everyone we met seemed to know Jesse, and by dinner it felt like we’d known each other for years.
“Would you like to follow me north on a date perhaps? I have a cottage in Muskoka, and maybe I can show you where the moose are?”Jesse’s first invitation to Susan, sent on Instagram. A bold move, but it worked.
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May 27, 2018 · Muskoka Road 117
The Turtle
On our very first date, driving up to the cottage, Jesse suddenly hit the brakes, jumped out and helped a turtle across the road. Susan was sold. That small moment said everything about what we both care about, and it still guides how we run Follow Me North.
“Those who save turtles together, stay together.”
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A few weeks later · Lake of Bays
We Moved North
Weeks after that first weekend, we traded Cambridge and Whitby for Baysville and made Algonquin our full-time playground. Our Golden Aussie, Indy, joined the crew soon after.
We’ve since braved 100 km/h winds, downpours, frigid mornings, unforgiving bugs and some truly unfortunate farmer tans. We wouldn’t trade any of it.
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2017–2018 · Two photographers, one dream
Follow Me North, Together
In 2017 Jesse led his first photography workshops in Algonquin, and Follow Me North was officially up and running. When Susan came along in 2018, teaming up was the obvious choice: his field knowledge and love of teaching, and her years of producing shoots around the world.
Together we started creating the workshop experiences we’d always wanted to share, from private days in the park to trips around the world.
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Christmas morning, 2019
A Lynx for Christmas
Every Christmas morning we drive through Algonquin together. In 2019, near Lake of Two Rivers, an adult Canada lynx walked out in front of us. Susan photographed it right through the windshield. This is that lynx. It’s still one of our favourite reminders to always keep a camera ready.
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September 30, 2020 · An autumn workshop
The Proposal
On a fall colours workshop in Algonquin, Jesse dropped to one knee on a rocky lookout and surprised Susan with a ring. Our workshop guests were in on the secret the whole time, cameras ready to catch the moment.
She said yes. A week later we went back to the same spot for our engagement photos.
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August 17, 2022 · Lake of Two Rivers
“I Do” on an Island
We were up before 4 a.m. and paddled to a small, still-unnamed island on Lake of Two Rivers with our photographers, our officiant and two close friends. The forecast looked grim, then the sky cleared just in time: an orange sunrise, mist on calm water, and loons calling through the whole ceremony.
Afterwards we headed to Bartlett Lodge for one of the best meals in Muskoka, then a well-earned afternoon nap.
“I want to see the world with you, and more importantly, be the world for you… Today, I promise to paddle by your side and to love you always and forever.”From Jesse’s vows
“I fell in love with you the way I fall asleep, slowly and then all at once.”From Susan’s vows
Our Sunrise Elopement
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Today · Baysville & beyond
Still Following Each Other North
Years later, we’re still up before sunrise looking for moose, still stopping for turtles, and still in love with this park and with each other. Indy is still part of the crew, too.
Photography and creativity are at the heart of everything we do, and we’re always dreaming up what’s next. That includes Follow Me North Creative, a new sister studio for web design, production and marketing. More on that soon.
Jesse Villemaire
My story’s as colourful as my personality.
For nearly two decades I was a professional body piercer and owned a tattoo studio in Cambridge, Ontario. That chapter took me across Canada and the U.S., speaking about health and safety in the body art industry. Somewhere along the way I picked up an old hobby again, photography, and it quickly became my passion.
The camera gave me a fresh way to see the world, a creative outlet, and a steady companion as I navigated life with ADHD. These days you’ll find me rolling around in the dirt to get the perfect shot of a playful puppy, or out before dawn hoping to catch a moose in the first light.
What I love most is teaching. Watching someone go from “spray and pray” to making a photo they’re proud of never gets old.
- Out in the fieldBefore sunrise, looking for fresh moose tracks
- On stageCamera clubs, and his Lost & Found creativity seminar
- Favourite subjectMoose in the mist (and dogs mid-zoomie)
- MottoThe wildlife comes first, the photo comes next
Susan Villemaire
My career began in a newsroom, writing about art, climate change, mental health, music and politics across the Greater Toronto Area.
From there I spent 13 years as a Creative Producer, leading teams across four continents for 500px, Stocksy United, Flashstock, Shutterstock Studios and Canva, and developing concepts for Netflix, Disney+, CNN, History, the Discovery Channel and more.
At Follow Me North I bring that production background to our trips, working with travel partners to create immersive wildlife photography experiences, from the wilderness of Algonquin to the wide-open landscapes of southern Africa. My focus is helping photographers understand the wildlife and places they’re photographing, and build a body of work that tells a story.
“She not only has vision, but she also sees things through down to the finest logistical detail. This truly makes her a unicorn in the creative landscape.”Allie Hobbs, Senior Director of Creative Services, Mediabrands Content Studio
Inspiring Connections With Nature, and Each Other
Photography can do more than capture a moment. It can bring people together and help them care about protecting the wild places we love.
Ego-Free, Inclusive Learning
Everyone is welcome here, whatever your background, skill level or the way you learn best. Ask anything, go at your own pace and leave the gear envy at home. Our workshops are a judgment-free space to learn, try and grow.
Ethical Wildlife Photography
The animal always comes first. We never bait, never share exact locations and never push for a closer shot. Canadian Geographic featured our approach. Read our ethics guide
Sustainable Adventures
When we travel, we work with eco-conscious operators and local partners, so our visits support conservation and the communities that welcome us.
Conversation, Not Confrontation
Most people who get too close simply don’t know better yet. We’d rather start a friendly conversation than a fight, and we teach our guests to do the same.
Land AcknowledgementOur workshops take place in Algonquin Provincial Park, on the traditional, unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabeg. We recognize the Algonquin Nation’s stewardship of this land throughout its history and our responsibility as guests on it.
What Our Guests Say
“WOW! is the word of choice to sum up my experience. Jesse sure knows ‘his park’ and the wildlife that inhabits it. He delivered on my request for a moose (we saw three)! Sunrise in the mist. Stunning sunset. Who could ever ask for more?”
“Jesse, not only are you a fantastic photographer, you’re a natural teacher! You helped build my confidence with my camera, and taught me how to create an image through composition.”
“From the moment I walked into their home, Jesse and Susan made me feel like family. I wish I had met them two years ago. I would have saved myself countless hours of frustration.”
“I booked a full-day workshop to celebrate our 6th anniversary. We both had tons of fun! Jesse connects with you on a personal level, making the whole experience enjoyable and entertaining.”
“This was a fun and informative presentation. Jesse and Susan shared their personal journey as individuals and a dynamic duo. I was left with an urge to revisit Algonquin Park.”
Come Follow Us North
Whether it’s your first time holding a camera or your hundredth sunrise in the park, we’d love to show you where the moose are.