Joshua Karthik (Instagram)

Rome is many things to many people, and has been over the ages. Of all the things Rome is and is perceived to be though, the thing you cannot accuse it of being is minimal. Sparse is a word that's alien to its cobbled streets, spare is a concept that doesn't ring any bells even amongst ruins that are a millennium old. This is a city that's grand on a scale that few cities can match.

My week in Rome last year was downright fantastic, but every time I looked through the viewfinder of the gaggle of cameras I carried along with me, all I saw was noise. There's way too much going on everywhere, from the patterns in the streets to the profusion of columns that make up every facade to the way light plays with all of these elements.

When in Rome, I'm told, do as you bloody please: nobody likes an imitation. So I promptly realigned the view, and cut the noise out. It did help that the skies over Rome are brilliantly blue, and stunningly stark. What I have from this adventure is a set of photographs I call Minimal Rome, or if you'll allow me the creative license: Minima Roma.

You can find Joshua Karthik on Instagram at @joshuakarthikr and follow the blog for more updates from him.