I use photography to lower stress and sharpen attention, and the science behind it is stunning.
Fractals and a Quiet Mind by Michael Hunter, MD
Fractals and a Quiet Mind.
Most people reach for their phones when they’re overwhelmed.
I reach for my camera.
As a cancer doctor, I work in rooms that are often too bright, fast, and full of emotion.
Photography became my way out — not from the patients but the mental noise.
It offered stillness.
Structure.
A frame.
Only later did I learn that this instinct had a biological basis.
Looking through a lens doesn’t just change what you see.
It changes what your brain does with it.
The Science Behind the Stillness
“Photography is the story I fail to put into words.” — Destin Sparks.
When photographing nature, I unconsciously gravitate toward patterns — tree branches, cloud edges, cracked riverbeds.
These are called fractals: naturally repeating geometric patterns that appear at different scales.
In one study, researchers found that simply viewing fractals can reduce stress levels by up to 60%.
The brain, it turns out, is wired to find comfort in these shapes.
We see them in ferns, snowflakes, waves, and coastlines.
They are the architecture of calm.
If this reflection resonates, tap the 💚 and help others find it too.
Pair that with photography’s focused attention, and you have a cortisol-lowering ritual in your pocket.
Studies show that visual immersion in nature — especially when paired with intentional focus — helps regulate the stress hormone cortisol and activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
It’s not just about beauty.
It’s about biology.
Slowing the Brain, One Frame at a Time
If you’re curious about how the brain resets in quiet moments, you might also enjoy The Hidden Symphony, my essay on the Default Mode Network and creativity.
“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” — Deepak Chopra
Photography forces me to pause.
Before I press the shutter, I slow my breath.
I stop scanning.
I wait.
That moment — the inhale, the click, the release — has become a neurological reset.
One that cuts through the overdrive of hospital corridors and information overload.
Neuroscientists refer to this as attention restoration.
Photography is like active meditation: It quiets the brain’s default mode network and reorients me to the visual present.
The camera becomes a boundary — between me and chaos, between now and next.
Capturing Calm – Fractals and a Quiet Mind
“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality.” — Henri Cartier-Bresson
The photos I take aren’t always beautiful.
But they are mine.
And they reflect what I saw and how I needed to see it.
A fern glowing under fog.
A shadow folding across the trunk of a cedar.
The mirrored stillness of a lake at dawn.
These are not pictures.
They are pauses.
Final Thoughts – Fractals and a Quiet Mind
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
You don’t need a camera to feel this.
You need a moment.
A pattern.
A pause.
But if you do have a lens, try aiming it at something that breathes.
Look for branches, rivers, rocks, and clouds.
Then let your brain follow their rhythm.
Fractals don’t just calm the eyes.
They quiet the whole self.
If this reflection gave you pause, follow me on Medium for weekly essays on resilience, longevity, and what nature keeps teaching me between patients.
The author photographed all the images in this essay.
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