This is a visual ode to the untamed beauty of “Our North”.

I didn’t always love where I’m from. Growing up, small-town life felt limiting, slow, and isolating. I couldn’t wait to leave and see the world beyond.

It wasn’t until my mid-twenties, spending time at our family cottage near Chapleau, that I fell in love with Northern Ontario. Casting lines off the dock, stargazing, foraging, and exploring secret lakes reminded me that my happiest memories have always been outdoors. Nature here has a quiet magic—it turns ordinary days into adventure.

Northern Ontario isn’t for everyone—it takes toughness to brave harsh winters—but it’s a place to slow down, breathe, and reconnect. Its arts, culture, and nature tourism thrive, offering space to explore, reflect, and find yourself.

This gallery is yet another love letter to the North, and perhaps my way of reconciling all the years I could not see her for what she was – rugged, untamed and full of her own wild magic. This project is an open call to local photographers to capture what it’s like to live and breathe this land. The goal is to inspire those who are much like my younger self, and get lost in the challenges that accompany this rugged, almost Frontier life, of ours. I want them to fall in love with the land and see all the ways that the ruggedness and they beauty of this place has been reflected back into who they have become. As Charles Dickens once said, “Every traveler has a home of his own, and he learns to appreciate it the more from his wandering.”

I urge you to sit with these photos, contemplate the feelings that arise, and leave your thoughts in the discussion section. If you are interested in adding to this collection, then please be sure to scroll to the bottom for submission details and guidelines.

I’ll leave you with this. Wander, explore, and fall in love.

This is Our North

If you’re interested in being a part of the Northern Ontario Project, feel free to send us you submissions and inquiries to j.l.fizzell@outlook.com, along side your preferred name, as well as the region of Northern Ontario your photograph was taken.

All submitted photographs remain the property of their creators. By submitting, participants grant permission for their work to be displayed on “Our North” for community viewing only. J.L. Fizzell and associated sites are not responsible for misuse by others. This is an informal community project for sharing, celebrating local talent, and most importantly, the beauty of our North. If you would like your photo to be removed from this project, please reach out via the email listed above.