'A love letter to women': Cork photographer's project to capture untold stories 

From women who have fought cancer, are living with a disability, have recovered from an eating disorder, or have grieved stillbirth, Bella Daly manages to capture with her lens their stories of empowerment and resilience. Her project is called Echoes and Edges.

“My project is a love letter to women,” says Bella.

“For women who overcome hardship and who show their natural strength.”

Bella, a mother of three, shows her own natural strength.

“I saw the way women juggled expectations, worked twice as hard for recognition, and navigated impossible standards, all the while carrying the invisible weight of motherhood, illness and personal struggles. I’ve felt the push and pull between career, motherhood and personal ion, always trying to be everything for everyone.”

Kerrie Downey, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at 39, was on the same page as Bella.

“When Bella focuses the camera on you, she can pull all of the emotions out of you,” says Kerrie, who is a cancer survivor.

Was she scared to be photographed showing off her tattoo where her cancer was, in a stance drawing a bow embodying her warrior image?

“I want to be in everyone’s face,” says Kerrie.

“I want to stand in my strength.”

Bella, so skilful with the camera, was able to capture that beautifully.

Why did Bella change career from a corporate role to an award-winning photographer?

“I was working as a senior project manager, balancing a demanding career with motherhood and battling an invisible illness,” says Bella, who is from Poland and living in Cork 22 years now.

“Like so many women, I was constantly juggling, trying to excel at work while being the best mother I could be, all the while managing chronic pain.”

Bella decided to take a carer break, and she rediscovered her love of photography - a joy she first experienced after her late father gifted her a camera.

“It started as a creative outlet, but it quickly became something more,” says Bella.

“I realised I wasn’t just capturing moments. I was capturing emotions, strength and untold stories. Eventually, I knew I couldn’t go back to my old life. I wanted to use my skills to do something meaningful. My primary focus is pregnancy, motherhood and newborn photography, and of course Echoes and Edges, where I want to show women’s power they already hold within them.”

What is Bella’s experience with invisible illness?

“I have psoriatic arthritis which is an autoimmune disease that attacks the ts,” says Bella.

“On average, autoimmune patients see four doctors over 4.5 years before being diagnosed. I lived that reality, made to feel like the pain was in my head.”

How did Bella feel dealing with this condition?

“I was exhausted, in constant discomfort, and struggling to function, but I kept getting dismissed. I finally had to research my symptoms, push for tests, and insist on a referral to a rheumatologist who immediately diagnosed me. With the right biologic treatment, we were able to stop my immune system from attacking my body. The experience of having to advocate for myself stuck with me.”

There is fight in women everywhere.

“I see the same fight in so many of the women I photograph,” says Bella.

“Women who have battled illness, loss, and adversity, all the time fighting to be seen and heard,” says Bella.

In Echoes and Edges, Bella wanted to capture stories of strength that often go unseen.

“Women step into my studio for a photoshoot but they often end up sharing their struggles, fears and triumphs.”

Bella can empathise.

“I’ve lived it too. Balancing a demanding career, motherhood, and an invisible illness while trying to meet impossible expectations.”

What did Bella’s time in the corporate world show her?

“My time in the corporate world showed me double standards women have to face,” says Bella. “They are expected to lead, but only within limits.”

Other things struck Bella in the corporate workplace.

“Be competent but not too ambitious. Be strong but not too strong. Be assertive but not too intimidating. Be nurturing but not overly emotional. And of course, the obvious one, take notes at meetings!”

And make the coffee?

Both girls laugh.

“Yes! Make the coffee.”

How did that experience shape Bella?

“That experience shaped me, and when I transitioned to photography full-time, I knew I wanted to capture not just the polished moments, but the strength behind the struggles, the battles fought behind closed doors, the fire that keeps women going even when the world expects them to shrink.”

When a judge critiqued a maternity portrait that Bella entered for a competition, it was a turning point for her.

“He said pregnant women shouldn’t be portrayed as powerful. That comment solidified my mission to challenge the narrative and celebrate women’s strength.”

Bella laid down the gauntlet, posting maternity images and asking ‘who does she think she is?’ Followed by a warrior, a goddess, a mother, a force to be reckoned with? So far eight women signed up, each with a unique and powerful story,” says Bella.

“There are many others interested in taking part in Echoes and Edges.”

What is Kerrie’s story?

“In January, 2023, I began the process of buying my first home in Glanmire,” says Kerrie.

The future was bright.

“I fell in love with my future fiancé, Shaun, and I was on track to fulfil my dream of settling in Cork.”

Not everything stays on the right track.

“I started to experience ill health in 2023,” says Kerrie, who also worked in the corporate world like her close friend Bella.

“I had a very stressful job and any woman in that space will understand it can be very difficult. But I was never a sick person.”

Kerrie became a sick person.

“I started getting colds and chest infections. I was just very lethargic,” says Kerrie.

“I was in and out of the GP on seven rounds of antibiotics. It just felt like I couldn’t get myself better.”

Things got worse before they got better.

“By September, I thought, ‘this isn’t me’ and I went in for a full NCT. Then In November I found a lump.”

Kerrie knew she was in trouble.

“I rang my GP, and the receptionist told me they may not have an appointment for two weeks. I told her I need to come in now. ‘I’ve found a lump’. They managed to get me in that day.”

Within weeks, Kerrie was in active treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. Just two months after being diagnosed, Kerrie underwent a lumpectomy surgery to have a 2.5-centimetre tumour removed from her breast.

“I think being proactive was really important,” says Kerrie.

What else is important?

“I think as women we can be quite apologetic about things,” says Kerrie.

“But we need to do more advocating for ourselves. Don’t say ‘it’ll be fine’ when you know there is something wrong. As women, we are so in tune with our own bodies, women’s intuition, and we know when it’s not all fine. I would just encourage any other young women to stick up for themselves.”

Shaun stuck by his fiancée.

“I begged him to leave. But he didn’t.”

Kerrie went through a learning curve.

“Every part of your life goes through a scan when you have cancer,” says Kerrie.

“Your relationships, personality, resilience. It is very difficult to navigate as a young woman.”

Shaun, the love of her life, helped steer the ship.

“I begging Shaun to leave me. We were only three months together and I didn’t know what was going to happen.”

What did happen?

“He decided to marry me!”

Kerrie is a new woman; a stronger woman.

“Cancer had been my life for 16 months so now I am learning to live without it.”

What is that like?

“It’s now about pulling myself out of that cancer bubble,” says Kerrie.

“And now I am planning a wedding instead of a funeral.”

Kerrie is brave and strong. She is grateful.

“I have a lot to be grateful for,” says Kerrie, looking forward to her wedding in Spain and to watching her nephew grow up.

“And I’ve learned some hard lessons. I had an amazing medical team and an amazing family system. But a battle with cancer is fought alone, those heavy dark thoughts and a real state of fear. The fear almost became like a companion.”

“I felt it was so important to share my story and if just one or two women benefit by my being vocal, to advocate for herself, then it is worth more than my insecurities in front of the camera.”

Kerrie was made redundant and, in a twist of fate, she says it was like a sign to do something else with her life.

“I am thinking of training to be a life coach,” says Kerrie.

“I’ve been running that rat race treill since college, and now it’s unplugged. I’ve never been happier. I’ve lost friends, but I’ve gained friends too. It’s time to focus on what truly makes me happy and lights me up.”

Bella’s photographs light her up.

“From the beginning, I called my battle Project Phoenix,” says Kerrie.

“The photos turned out beautifully.”

See belladaly.com