Mobile photography adventures at Aranypart

You can be a photographer of your own experiences

Where the waves of Lake Balaton meet the shore, you'll find a truly special waterfront atmosphere. If you've been to Aranypart Camping & Apartments, you'll surely have a mobile phone full of happy and cosy holiday pictures to look back on during cold winter evenings.

You can be your own photographer at any time, with a camera in your pocket to capture life-changing moments. And nowadays, you can take better and better pictures with your phone. Given the opportunity, why not make the most of it? In the following article you can get an insight into the secrets of holiday photography.

You can take breathtaking photos easily, even with your phone, without any complicated equipment and you don't even need to be a professional photographer! Photography is also a recreational activity that helps you relax, get lost in the moment and can even become a real hobby in your life.

The sunsets at Aranypart are quite exceptional!

Aranypart Camping & Apartments takes you on a mobile photography adventure along one of the most beautiful and popular stretches of Lake Balaton. It's worth heading out to the beach at sunset when the clouds are nice, for up to half an hour of varied and stunning scenery. (The featured photo of this article was also taken there.)

Tips and tricks for holiday photography

If you want to take some special pictures on holiday or during a nice autumn getaway, all you have to do is capture the moments that nature, sunlight and a special location combine to create.

Aranypart Camping & Apartments is the ideal holiday resort where you can take truly enviable holiday photos, as your accommodation is located directly on the shores of Lake Balaton. With uninterrupted views of the lake from the terraces of waterside restaurants, an amateur photographer can’t help but feel the urge to capture the perfect moment of arrival on the beach, accompanied by a glass of wine or a frothy latte.

But the secret to being a holiday photographer lies not only in documenting the best moments of your holiday, but also in timing, using the light and your phone's camera with care. Let's see the tips!

Why take photos at sunset at Aranypart Camping?

In the late afternoon, a pleasant, all-encompassing calm prevails on the beach. In the low season, you can also capture special moments when it's just you and the serene surroundings. The peace of the Lake Balaton sunset really does help you get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and you can even preserve the moment in perfectly composed photos.

The tips below will help you know how to use your phone's camera settings to get the best photos of this truly exceptional scene.

Don't be afraid of photographic jargon, learn about composition, HDR, focus and exposure. It's not complicated, as these are already available on your phone in your pocket. Whether it's morning light or a sunset on Lake Balaton, the following photography tricks can help you create great images. On Youtube you will find a lot of tutorials on mobile photography.

1. Use lighting and colour

You may have already heard the term "good lighting" from professional photographers. The best lighting for photography, especially if nothing interferes with the sun, is at dawn or dusk. Early in the morning and at sunset, the light is soft, the colours are rich, and the views are uninterrupted. This is the period between the "blue hour" and the "golden hour".

The term "blue hour" refers to the time when the sky is dark blue and the sun will only emerge after a few moments. And the "golden hour" is when everything turns orange. If you point your phone towards the water when the first sun rays arrive, you can take a picture of the lake's mirror-smooth surface reflecting the sun's light and shining.

2. Timing

Sunset is not at a fixed time, it varies depending on the time of year, but in summer it is roughly between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. This is when the lights really come into their own for spectacular photos. It's also worth paying attention to the weather, as a cloudy morning or evening can add an exciting mood to your pictures.

If you really want to catch the best light, it's a good idea to head out to the beach a little before sunset. This way you don't miss the moment when the sky turns from blue to pink or orange.

You can catch the special lights at sunrise or during a classic Lake Balaton sunset. Each one is magical for a different reason. What's more, for these photographic experiences, you only have to walk a few metres to the beach if you book your accommodation at Aranypart Camping & Apartments.

3. Composition tips

A basic photographer trick is the rule of thirds, try to apply it. It's really simple, just imagine dividing the phone screen into nine sections with two horizontal and two vertical lines (most phone photo apps already have the grid built in). If you place the sun not exactly in the middle, but at one of the intersections, you get a much more interesting picture. For example, if the sun is in the top right third and the lake is at the bottom of the picture, it will be a more dynamic, exciting photo.

Composing with a grid on an iPhone – Siófok, Aranypart

4. Focus and exposure

Many people don’t know that most mobile phone cameras have adjustable focus and light metering features that you can use to adjust how much light it allows to pass through the lens and reach the sensor. When you want to take a photo but the sun is in front of you, it’s common for the image to become "washed out". Touch your finger to where the sun is and the camera's light meter will measure the light and won't let the image become washed out.

By touching the screen with your finger, you can set the focus to the point you’ve selected, perfecting your settings. Another useful mobile photography trick is to tone the brightness down a little at a specific point on the screen when the image is too bright. This way you can determine how much exposure you need.

5. Reflections and HDR

Do you love water? Then play with its reflection! The surface of the lake is like a huge mirror. And if you capture the sun and its reflection at the same time, the image is even more spectacular. On your phone, you can also turn on HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode, which will help you capture both light and dark areas of the picture and capture richer colours.

6. Feel free to experiment!

At first, you may not capture the pictures as you envisioned, and they might not turn out the way you wanted. Don't let this crush your ambition! In the history of photography, a lot of tricks have come from some kind of mistake. A "ruined" photo often creates style.

Accommodation not only for holiday photographers

Aranypart Camping & Apartments is a great choice for those looking to capture the waterfront moments. The accommodation is located on Aranypart, one of the most beautiful beaches of Siófok. The campsite and holiday resort offers a wealth of charming holiday photo opportunities, but the surrounding area is also full of special places worth capturing. The nearby harbour, the Water Tower, the beautiful old villas or the rose garden not only offer a pleasant pastime, but also a great subject for holiday photographers.

Whether you capture it or not this place is truly a source of recharging and it's worth a visit. There are different types of accommodation on offer, so you're sure to find the one that suits you best. Tent pitches, caravan pitches, comfortable mobile houses and apartments are all waiting for you.

You can book online with just a few clicks. You can pay for your accommodation with a debit card or credit card, and you can secure your place by paying the deposit fee.

Hurry and get in on the experience, we're still open in September! The early autumn atmosphere, the flavours and smells of Lake Balaton and the soft breeze are something that the pictures cannot capture. Come and experience it!