Wondering which Instagram filter was used to shoot these cinematic pictures of the island of Madeira?
The answer is categorically #nofilter.
They were all captured old-school-style by amateur photographer Giedrius Lazutka from Lithuania using a 35mm film camera (remember those?) – and the effect is hypnotic.
The 34-year-old, who now lives in Singapore, took the pictures during a visit to the Portuguese Atlantic archipelago in February. He says he loves the ‘grainy texture and colours’ in the pictures his camera yields. Plus the fact that the process doesn’t involve sifting through thousands of photos on a laptop.
His retro-style images show Madeira’s lush green valleys, dramatic cliffs, eye-popping waterfalls and stunning hiking trails.
Giedrius, who works as a sommelier, told MailOnline Travel: ‘It’s a unique island with spectacular nature, mountains, clouds, rocky beaches, cliffs, waterfalls, many hiking tracks, delicious food and wine and lovely people.
‘There are very good tracks that bring you above the clouds to reach the highest peaks or green valleys that are confined by amazing 20-million-year-old laurel forests.’ Scroll down to discover the breathtaking island via the magic of classic 35mm technology…
Giedrius snapped his stunning images of Madeira while visiting the Atlantic archipelago in February. In this shot, he captured the stunning view from Ponta do Furado on the eastern side of the island
This image shows some of the terraced fields on the island. Giedrius said: ‘It’s a very small island. You can go around with a car in one day and see some beautiful places’
Giedrius said: ‘It’s a unique island with spectacular nature, mountains and clouds, rocky beaches and cliffs, waterfalls, many hiking tracks, delicious food and wine and lovely people.’ Pictured is a waterfall Giedrius came across on the PR6 Levada das 25 Fontes walk
Madeira does Middle Earth: A beautiful fantasy-movie-style lane framed by the limbs of ancient trees
Giedrius captured this serene scene on a hiking trail. He said: ‘Madeira is perfect for hiking lovers’. This image shows one of the island’s many 16th-century irrigation channels, which weave through ancient laurel forests, under waterfalls and around mountains
Regarding using 35mm film, Giedrius said: ‘Film is limited, so you think twice or more if you really need that shot, focusing more on details and object. At the end, you don’t need to sort through thousands of pictures on your laptop.’ Pictured is the town of Serra De Agua
A superb panoramic view across the capital city, Funchal, and its terracotta-roofed buildings from the cable car, which rises to a height of 1,800 feet. Funchal harbours parks brimming with beautiful flowers and plants
Giedrius said: ‘Madeira has very good tracks that bring you above the clouds to reach the highest peaks or green valleys that are confined by amazing 20million-year-old laurel forests’
Giedrius noted that the nature and scenery changes every few kilometres as you travel around the island
Giedrius said: ‘The biggest problem of using a film camera is when you stand on the top of the mountain and realise that all the films you had are finished. So you wipe your tears and just enjoy the views’
This incredible shot shows Ponta de Sao Lourenco – the most eastern point on the island of Madeira. The headland is a designated nature reserve
Another view of Ponta de Sao Lourenco, which Giedrius said was one of his favourite walking areas on the island. He said: ‘It is quite an easy few hours walk with Mars-like rocks surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean’
Giedrius travelled to Madeira with his sister in order to enjoy the ‘sunshine, good weather and lush nature’
One of the winding roads on the island of Madeira. The island is popular with tourists and welcomes 1.4million visitors each year
Giedrius captured this incredible picture from the Cabo Girao – a popular lookout point for hikers on the south coast of Madeira
Giedrius said that the landscape on the island of Madeira was ‘way above my expectations’
This stunning image shows the Ponto de Vista rocks on the east coast of Madeira, which has some of the island’s most dramatic scenery
This shot, which shows the island’s rugged coastline, has been named ‘The Atlantic Ocean Meets Madeira Island’ by Giedrius
Madeira is set to open up to international travellers once again from July 1. But to be allowed in, tourists will either have to present documentation showing they’ve had a negative coronavirus test within 72 hours prior to arriving in Madeira or show they’re in the clear from a free test administered upon arrival
Giedrius said: ‘We spent one week in Madeira and still didn’t manage to see everything. It is difficult to say which part was the most beautiful because the landscape is so diverse’
Giedrius currently works as a sommelier in a top Sicilian restaurant called Gattopardo in Singapore
Giedrius labelled this stunning image ‘Sunshine Around the Corner’ on Instagram
Giedrius remarked that ‘the excitement of receiving pictures from the photo lab is priceless and it brings your memories back to your childhood when you were unwrapping Christmas presents’
Giedrus says that a friend gave him his first 35mm SLR camera 10 years ago. He later bought a better model – and still only uses a film camera when travelling
Funchal – known as the Floating Garden of the Atlantic – captured as it glows at night. Madeira and the other islands in the archipelago were discovered by the Portuguese in 1418
This is one of Giedrius’s favourite images. He said: ‘We were driving on the mountain and on the edge of it there was a cow just enjoying her life. It looked like it was floating on the clouds, which created a very surreal illusion’
Madeira is famously the birthplace of former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo, who now plays for Juventus
Lonely Planet says of Madeira: ‘Geologically dramatic, bursting with exotic colour and warmed year-round by the Atlantic sun, Portugal’s most enchanting island is a place that keeps all its subtropical holiday promises’
‘Black sand beaches, the frothing Atlantic, towering rock walls and gushing streams and irrigation channels make Madeira an outdoor nirvana,’ says Lonely Planet. ‘But it’s also a place of gentler pleasures such as wine tasting and visiting lush botanical gardens’