A stunning shot of palm trees captured by a Bermudian photographer was picked as the cover image of a prestigious travel magazine this month.

The photograph by Meredith Andrews, taken as she carried out a photoshoot of prominent island people, took the prime spot in the November edition of US-based Travel + Leisure, which has a print sale of almost a million copies a month and a claimed readership of more than six million.

Ms Andrews, a former photographer for The Royal Gazette, said: “Usually, when I do a portrait session, I do broader landscapes to have a complete story of the day.

“When I was shooting … I took a quick shot of the palm trees at Southlands Beach.”

She added: “When I submitted them they contacted me and asked if it could be on the cover.”

Ms Andrews said: “It’s one for the professional bucket list.

“I keep my copies of Travel + Leisure with Bermuda Tourism Authority ads I have shot, so to get my photographs in an editorial piece was really great and then to be featured on the cover was fantastic.

“I am also featured on the contributors’ page.”

Ms Andrews captured the image as she carried out a commission for the magazine for a feature article.

She took portrait shots of Weldon Wade, an ocean conservationist and founder of Guardians of the Reef, Doreen Williams, the founder of Wild Herbs and Plants in Bermuda and Rachel Sawden, a photographer, writer, influencer and tour guide for the feature.

Ms Andrews sent a few extra photographs of the locations as a bonus – and the Southlands palm trees caught the eye of Jaqui Gifford, the Editor of Travel + Leisure, who also posted it on her personal Instagram page.

The article, by Jancee Dunn, was billed as “an insider’s perspective of the island’s dynamic culture”.

Other Bermudian people and businesses featured included Genelle John, the owner of Salt Soap Co, Kim Deuss the owner of Daughters of Summer swimwear, the OM Juicery, Eettafel luxury picnics and the Bird Cage bar in Hamilton, as well as the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo and the African Diaspora Trail.

Ms Andrews said she wanted to promote the arts and culture of the island and encourage a new generation of talent.

She added: “I want to keep supporting local artists, especially young artists.

“One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that there are a lot of talented people who maybe finished university or who are transitioning and decided to come home, so there is a lot of talent on the island.

“I want to remind people not to forget about the pool of local talent we have here.”

Ms Andrews’ work has been featured in New York magazine, Conde´ Nast Traveller, Afar,The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, as well as several airline in-flight magazines.

Her portrait of Rochelle Minors, a Bermudian fashion designer, was a cover shot for the WestJet in-flight magazine.

She has also contributed to The Bermudian magazine.