Sign up for our Newsletter

Katelyn Knapp holds a copy of “N is for North Fork” inside her studio. (Credit: Katelyn Knapp, courtesy)

The new children’s book “N is for North Fork” aims to make bedtime reading more interactive.

The 30-page softcover book, self-published by Southold photographer Katelyn Knapp, gives young children an opportunity to work on their ABCs while also learning about some of the region’s best places for families to visit. And kids will probably enjoy donning a pair of 1950s monster movie-style red and blue glasses to view the book’s 3-D images.

Each page features a letter of the alphabet paired with a three-dimensional image shot by Ms. Knapp somewhere on the North Fork. For example, G is for goats at Goodale Farms in Aquebogue and Q is for quail from Feisty Acres farm in Jamesport.

Inside the book, however, N is actually not for North Fork. Rather it stands for noodles from Stirling Sake restaurant in Greenport.

“ ‘N is for North Fork’ is a 3-D photography book and scavenger hunt for families to discover all the wonderful sights, sounds and tastes the North Fork has to offer,” Ms. Knapp said.

The cover of “N is For North Fork” by Katelyn Knapp. (Credit: Katelyn Knapp courstesy)

At the book’s end there’s a map and a list of addresses so people can visit the locations mentioned, bringing its pages to life. Each book comes with two pairs of 3-D glasses.

The process of producing a 3-D image, in this case anaglyph 3-D, is not as involved as one would think.

Ms. Knapp takes one frame and then adds a blue and red layer on top of the original image in Photoshop.

RELATED: STEP INSIDE THE EAST COAST’S FIRST SNAIL FARM

A Suffolk County Community College photographic imaging program graduate, she said she learned the technique in school, which sparked her interest to explore it further.

“The inspiration came during my class because I had never learned or thought about making a 3-D image,” she said. “It’s an art you can interact with.”

A page from “N is For North Fork.” (Credit: Katelyn Knapp, courtesy)

Although she’s had a lifelong interest in photography, it wasn’t until seven years ago, when she received her first DSLR camera, a Nikon 3000 series, as a gift from her by her husband, Taylor Knapp, that her hobby led her down a professional path.

A Riverhead native, Ms. Knapp noted that the North Fork’s emergence as a foodie tourist destination — something she and her husband have undoubtedly embraced — was an impetus for the project.

The couple also own the East Coast’s only snail farm, Peconic Escargot, and host the weekly pop-up dinner PawPaw, which sells out months in advance.

“I love the North Fork. I’ve watched it become this place that people from out of town want to spend their days off,” she said. “It’s been awesome to watch it grow.”

Ms. Knapp printed an initial run of 100 copies of “N is for North Fork” and plans to publish more. It is currently available for $25 on her website, katelynknapp.com, and she hopes local stores will soon carry it as well.

X
X