Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Forest Lake is a recreational lake just southwest of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia. It’s a deep man-made lake constructed in the 1990s which covers over 10 hectares of land and is the equivalent of 269 Olympic-sized swimming pools. It’s a popular recreational spot for humans and a safe place for a wide range of wildlife such as the spoonbill, which is an unusual visitor, and the gallah, which is also not a common visitor to the lake. There are many birds that frequent Forest Lake, as well as many species of water dragons represented by a man-made sculpture looking like a dragon of sorts. Author and photographer Brian Parkin doesn't forget the insects and butterflies either, such as the orchid swallowtail butterfly. In photographing insects for The Lake at Forest Lake, he “mainly concentrates on capturing color and detail as opposed to cataloging the different types of insects and other creepy crawlies that abound.” He claims that Forest Lake is “one of those picture-perfect places that capture the artist’s eye on every visit.”

Brian Parkin has photographed and documented life at Forest Lake during his daily walks around the lake and has a collection of over a thousand superb images. An artist capturing the art of Mother Nature, the photographs in The Lake at Forest Lake are fascinating to study. Using vivid natural lighting, the photographer has articulated the sharp contrasts of light, shape, and color. To say that the photographs are stunning is an understatement. This collection is organized into groups of images, beginning with general scenes of the lake and surrounding area. Brian provides a brief background to the history of Forest Lake as well as his fascination with photographing the area. He also discusses his technique and the equipment he uses. The photographs are identified clearly, sometimes with additional interesting facts. This is a beautiful book that is very interesting to study and savor the colors of nature.