Norah Al-Amri Turns City Streets Into Her Fashion Muse

Open Instagram and search Norah Al-Amri. You will find an account with 237 pictures. The top three pinned posts: Marie Claire, Conde Nast Traveller, and Harper’s Bazaar covers. They sit in sharp contrast to the little boy underneath. He beckons to a yellow cat, hand outstretched, smiling. Walking forward, his foot is blurry, but Al-Amri catches him in the centre of her frame, in the perfect middle of the doorway behind him. Inside, a woman looks at us through the slit in her niqab.

Keep scrolling. You will witness quiet moments between girlfriends in conversation, a man smiling at his reflection in a barber shop mirror, eight-year-old Reema feeding a flock of pigeons to earn money.

Al-Amri got her start in the streets. The 33-year-old, born and raised in Riyadh, has been a photographer since graduating from high school in 2010 when her father gifted her a camera. Her father was a photographer when he was young. She carried his legacy and his gift out onto the streets soon after, experimenting with shots of Saudis going about their daily lives. In 2016, Al-Amri gained experience when she joined Phonart Saudi, a group of artists who take photos using smartphones instead of higher-tech cameras. 

Al-Amri did not expect a career in fashion photography. When Harper’s Bazaar asked her to do the cover shoot for the 2021 launch of their Saudi publication, Al-Amri had no experience in the field.

"I was honestly surprised, as my Instagram page mainly showcased street photography," she said, but she accepted the opportunity and is grateful they chose her for the job.

The experience gave Al-Amri confidence in her eye for different styles of photography.

She captured Saudi model Taleedah Tamer in a custom white gown by luxury brand Atelier Hekayat, trailing behind her on the red sand of a sprawling desert. Al-Amri shot a series of covers starring Tamer in stunning gowns against Saudi landscapes. Red and blue fabric juxtaposed against the muted tones of palm tree trunks and boulders. A turquoise sky above marbled water sandwiched Tamer in between. 

When she won Saudi’s Fashion Photographer of the Year Award in 2024, she decided to take fashion photography more seriously. From iPhone shots to magazine covers to a full-fledged business. 

She recently started Nor’s Studio with her friend who is a designer, combining photography and fashion near the artist-hub JAX District of Riyadh. Now, she focuses more on fashion than snapshots of daily life in Saudi. But the streets remain her muse.

“I am inspired by the street photography of the 80s and 90s,” she said. Al-Amri prefers natural light over flash, and seeks out the intimate. “I focus on the story of the people or the place.”

But when asked how she describes her style as a photographer, she said she couldn’t answer the question. “I can’t describe my work. People should.” 

The first collection that came to Al-Amri’s mind were her photos from AlUla.

“Everyone talks about the tourist places and the stunning landscapes, but I saw something else,” she said, “the people of AlUla.”

To Al-Amri, AlUla struck her not for its renowned archaeological sites or luxury hotels, but for the seldom captured scenes of its locals. In this series, a boy holds his bike steady, girls tote backpacks on school steps, a young man fingers prayer beads in the seat of a Toyota Land Cruiser. 

“The people are so kind, open to the camera, and always carry this beautiful, warm spirit. While I was shooting, they made me feel so welcomed,” she said, adding that this is why she loves being a photographer.

“It takes me to places I never knew existed, and introduces me to people I would have never crossed paths with if it weren't for photography.”

Al-Amri also shared some of her favourite photos from Al-Kharrarah Lake just outside of Riyadh.
She explained that the lake is in the middle of sand dunes and only fills with water during the winter. Al-Amri’s aerial photo shows what is known as the ‘Lake of Liquid Light’ - a sobriquet for the way the sunlight reflects on the water’s surface.

“I visited the lake and immediately fell in love with a Saudi kid who caught my attention. His family had horses, sheep, and surprisingly ducks,” she said of the boy climbing a rusty fence, his feet peaking out from under his galabiya. He stares at the viewer wide-eyed and smile-less. “He was playful, always chasing the ducks, while his older brother rode his horse around the lake. It was such a beautiful moment.” 

Al-Amri said she must respect her subject’s privacy, so she sticks to photographing people in public spaces instead of inside their homes. But, she said, that would be the case anywhere.

“There is nothing challenging about being a photographer in Saudi Arabia,” Al-Amri said, a question she has had to answer before. “Outsiders think I must have issues photographing people, but it’s actually the opposite - people want me to take their photo.”

“My mission, through fashion and through daily life, is to capture Saudi culture.”