Masrat Zahra was born on 8 December 1993 in Hawal, Jammu and Kashmir, into a Kashmiri Muslim family.

[4][5][1] She experiences constant resistance based on her job and gender as she is one of a small group of female photojournalists in the region.

[7][8] On 3 August 2019, before the clampdown in India's Jammu and Kashmir state, she was asked to submit work for Journalists Under Fire, an exhibition in New York City which was organised by United Photo Industries and St Ann's Warehouse in collaboration with Committee to Protect Journalists.

[9] In April 2020, the Jammu and Kashmir Police named Zahra in an FIR under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which is normally used for targeting terrorists.

[14] In 2020, Zahra won the Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism award from the International Women's Media Foundation.