The wind rustles through the trees and a bird chirps in the distance. A shutter clicks and captures the vibrant green of the leaves, the sun light illuminating the petals of a wildflower.

But framing the perfect shot in a natural setting may prove to be more difficult than snapping posed photos of friends.

The city of Raleigh will offer a nature photography class on June 2 at the Durant Nature Park. Sol Levine, a graduate of the New York Institute of Photography, will instruct the class.

“He’s doing the basics on the manual camera, and also specifically how [to] shoot animals, butterflies and plants,” Tiffany Frost, nature programs director for Raleigh, said.

The class, which Frost said is “definitely for beginners,” is the first the group has offered on this subject with this instructor.

She said students should bring their own cameras if possible so Levine may teach how to operate specific controls.

“They will definitely be doing indoor sitting-down instruction time as well as outdoor hands-on experience,” Frost said.

Those interested in the class may register online for a fee of $65. Participants must be at least 14 years of age.

The North Carolina Strawberry Association’s Strawberry Photo Contest will give class participants an opportunity to put their newly acquired skills in practice and the chance to win monetary prizes for their photos.

Debby Weshler, executive secretary of the Association, said this is their first photo contest and she hopes to acquire “a library of great pictures.”

“I’ve seen such great pictures of kids with strawberry juice dribbling down their faces,” she said.

Photo entries must fall into one of two categories — photos depicting strawberries with or without people.

Weshler said the strawberries do not have to be photographed in North Carolina.

“They need to look like they were raised if not in North Carolina, with a similar system,” she said. “We’re trying to make it representative of our industry.”

She said there are several strawberry farms in the Triangle area where photographers can take photos, including new farms in the Chapel Hill area and existing farms in the Apex area.

“We hope [the contest] inspires people to go out to the farm and have a good time,” she said.

But, Weshler said contestants can photograph strawberries in their own backyards, in the form of a pie or an arrangement on a plate.

First, second and third place winners in both categories will recieve $100, $75 and $50 respectively. There is also a prize of $50 for the winner of the children’s category.

Entries are due July 15 and must be sent in both a print and negative or digital form.