If you’ve been watching the new wave of fashion imagery coming out of London and beyond, chances are you’ve already seen the world through Noor-U-Nisa’s lens — even if you didn’t know it yet!
London-based and British Pakistani, with a childhood split between the UK and South Africa, Noorunisa moves through fashion with a built-in global point of view. Her camera slips from backstage chaos to runway drama, from street style to sleek brand campaigns, with the same calm, precise eye; always catching the moment just before it disappears.
From New York, London, Milan and Paris to rising fashion capitals like Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Amsterdam, she’s been quietly building a visual archive of how people dress, move and exist around clothes today.
KHAMSA sat down with her, to talk about growing up between worlds, finding her angle in the madness of fashion week, and why the best images always start with curiosity.
١. When you’re shooting backstage, what’s the tiny unfiltered moment you’re always hunting for before the glam takes over?
When it comes to backstage I have learnt to thrive off the chaos. You never know how many people are back there, how late a show is running, how angry production is going to be, so I’ve come to a point where whatever the situation, I just make it work.
The chaos works for me now and almost helps highlight the moment of calmness that I want to catch.
٢. Is there a childhood color, light, or texture that still quietly shapes the way you frame a photograph today?
I actually think being raised in South Africa has impacted me more as a person than it has impacted my work. It’s made me super connected to the ocean and sun but when it comes to my work I actually never had any connection to fashion when I lived there; so the two worlds are quite disconnected. However being raised there made me value nature instead more than materialistic things and working in fashion this is invaluable in a very superficial world.
٣. What’s one habit or ritual that keeps you grounded when you’re sprinting between shows with three cameras and zero lunch breaks?
Salah in or out of fashion week will always keep me grounded.
In all honesty it’s really difficult to fit my prayers into my hectic days during fashion week but it will always be the one thing that will bring me back down to earth and remind me to be grateful for the amazing experiences and opportunities God has blessed me with.
Post fashion month I actually need some time to not touch my camera at all. I obviously love my job and often it doesn’t feel like work because I enjoy it so much but when you’re overworked like I am during fashion month you need a break from it too just to reset.
٤. How do you get someone to drop their guard in a space designed for performance?
It often comes down to the selection process when I’m editing. During fashion week you might not even interact with the person your photographing, so it’s less about me making them comfortable and more about choosing the right moment to capture.
You’re mainly just catching people as they run into a show.
I shoot them if they’re quickly posing, but that moment they stop posing, smile at a friend or adjust their clothes are the moments I’m actually drawn to. When I’m editing I will see the more posed shots but usually end up sharing a shot that looks more natural.
5. If your camera could speak, what would it say about the world you move through?
I think my camera would say it’s proud of me.
Me & my camera have seen it all, from starting out by shooting everything I saw just for fun to now shooting as my full time job; the journey has been long but fulfilling. My first camera was a pink barbie film camera when I was about 10 years old and to think it’s now transformed into a professional one is kind of crazy. If only my pink barbie one could see us now!
