Living in the moment is something I personally struggle to do. No matter how hard I try to let go and stay present in what's happening around me, I often get lost thinking about tomorrow, or the next day, or the next six weeks, or the next 25 years. Life is constantly throwing curve balls, and I for one, don't deal so well with uncertainty. But something that's recently helped me focus on the here and now, is photographing real people, real love and the everyday moments that would so easily fade to vague memories if not for a few blissful frames of pure documentary. 

The McDonnells live in Humpty Doo, a small outback paradise in the Northern Territory of Australia. There are two families (four adults and six children) living on this quaint patch of land submerged in native flora. Jokingly, they sometimes collectively refer to their crowded but temporary living situation as a "commune". None the less, there was still room enough for my family and I to crash the party for a few days when we were in the area fro a wedding this July.

Matt, the "cult leader" is actually my cousin... And if you've followed my blog for a while, you may recognise him and his lovely wife Jo, from my photos of their wedding a couple of year ago. Anyway, Matt knows the property like the tops of his feet (I would say "like back of his hand", but since people rarely wear covered footwear at their place I think this analogy is more fitting). He knows every plant, flower, bird, insect and pot hole on the block, and he has a way of making you care about all of it as much as he does. He's instilling within his children and resident cousins the same passion for nature and zeal for life that I recall him possessing as a youngster. 

Their home is special. It's pure. It's perfectly imperfect. If you visit there, your feet will get dirty, your belly will be full of fresh greens from the patch, your heart will hurt from the overload of love and laughter, and if you allow it, you might even get a dodgy outdoor hair cut, like I did. Australian's love the phrase "no worries", and I personally feel like this Aussie family embodies the spirit of the countries unofficial slogan. Nobody I've met, lives in the moment as well as this group of beautiful humans. Thanks for the memories! Here are a few of them...