For Bella Harris, the birth of her youngest child didn’t just inspire a career change; it sparked the creation of an entirely new way of seeing the world. As the founder and photographer behind Rhythm & Sun, mum-of-four Bella has built a business centred on capturing the beauty of real family life: the messy, fleeting, joy-filled moments that often pass by too quickly. Inspired by her own experience of motherhood and the passing of time, she has turned her passion for storytelling into a opportunity to document authentic family connection. In this interview, she shares the story behind Rhythm & Sun, the lessons she’s learned along the way, and her vision for celebrating family life through photography.
The passion: What inspired you to set up your business?
Having my youngest during COVID stirred something in me. That season wasn’t just the birth of my baby; it was the birth of bringing creative ideas to life in a new way.
I’d come from working in airport security and knew in my bones I didn’t want to go back ever! I had to think outside the box to stay home with my boy, and creativity became the answer. I’ve always been musical and drawn to rhythm and movement, and photography had been part of my life before kids, but this time it felt different and I was inspired to create something tangible.
I could feel how quickly the seasons were passing and perhaps after my fourth baby, and this being the last, it really hit me that these memories truly are fleeting. I didn’t want to just take photos; I wanted to honour the feeling of it before it disappeared.
So Rhythm & Sun was born. My business has since carried me through so much. In 2023, I was nearing the end of my almost four-year breastfeeding journey, and I was mourning in a way I couldn’t explain (my boy was the only one of four of my babies breastfed). I wanted to somehow freeze that time to look back on. I also wanted to honour other mothers who were at any stage of their breastfeeding journey, so I went on to create a project called “The Feeding Line”.
Just over 40 women joined together for one large-scale breastfeeding shoot. The community created and the sisterhood was something I’d never experienced before and I’m forever grateful I got to share this season and feeling with all these women. Funnily enough, The Feeding Line inspired me to keep breastfeeding until my boy was ready to end it (three short months later).
A lot of inspiration has come from Rhythm & Sun so far through all I’ve witnessed.
The launch: How did you start out in the beginning?
I actually started by putting out model calls in the local community. We were living beachside on the southern end of the Gold Coast, so I had the most beautiful light to learn in.
My own kids, believe it or not, didn’t love having their photo taken. So I stopped trying to pose them and started documenting instead. That’s really where my style formed, capturing what was already happening, as it was, without trying to “fix” or overly direct it.
I held a lot of maternity sunrise sessions, learned to get up at 3 am to get the blue hour shots first, and have been privileged to witness so many incredible women celebrating themselves at first light and sharing their stories through imagery.
The innovation: What was the biggest breakthrough for you with your business?
The shift happened when I stopped expecting kids to behave perfectly for the camera (as my own kids had taught me!). So many mums would arrive worried their children wouldn’t cooperate or smile on cue, and that pressure was often taking over the purpose.
I, for some strange reason, had it wired in my brain that I had to “stage” these photos, despite knowing it wasn’t something I’d want or expect for my own family photoshoot.
So I started to just do me! Bringing music to sessions and encouraging mums to move, dance, chase, laugh. I embraced and encouraged chaos. I leaned more into photographing their favourite places, holidays, backyards where they felt most at home. The focus stopped being about everyone saying “cheese” and started being about actually enjoying each other. The sessions slowly turned into little adventures and the photos became a by-product of the experience, not the main event.
Another breakthrough was being true to myself rather than chasing photography trends. I wanted to shoot from my own perspective and once I started doing this, the fun really started.
Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
It’s never perfectly balanced. Some weeks flow, others feel chaotic. I try to book around school hours and protect time at home.
Being a mum of four keeps me grounded and constantly reminds me why this work matters in the first place.
Being a photographer gives me flexibility to adapt and adjust around my kids constantly, which I love. I dont need to ask permission to stay home with a sick child, or miss an important milestone because I’m caught up making someone else’s dream come true.
