WHAT do you get the person who has everything?

If the latest craze in North Yorkshire is anything to go by – it’s a 3D photo.

Carolyn Collin, a mother of two, from Roecliffe, near Boroughbridge, stumbled upon the concept when her brother gave her a 3D portrait of himself for Christmas. She was surprised and amazed, and decided to set up her own company – crystalis3d.com – and has been inundated with requests from people wanting to turn their pets, ponies, babies, classic cars, weddings and even houses into 3D.

“I think there are only a few people in the country doing it,” she said.

Carolyn can take photos of people with a 3D camera or convert old photos into 3D.

“It is just as strong as taking the 3D image with the camera because it opens up a whole new box of goodies,”

she said. The images are then encapsulated in a crystal glass case.

The idea has caught the imagination of people abroad, as well as in North Yorkshire, with orders from the US and Canada.

It was a new venture for Carolyn, who comes from a sales and marketing background.

“It all began when my brother came up from London over Christmas and gave me this present,” she said.

“He’s one of those people who always buys really odd presents so I wasn’t sure what I was going to open.

He’d had a 3D portrait done of himself. I’d never seen anything like it before and kept saying ‘but how is it done?’ It kicked off a whole sequence of questions.”

Carolyn went to London to find out more about the product, looked into the technology and teamed up with a manufacturing company in Germany. Determined to give it a go, she quit her job and launched her business.

Apart from investing in the software and laser machines, she has managed to keep overheads low by working from home.

“I love painting with oils and was studying portraiture and nude paintings. This is very close because it is the ultimate in portraiture – it’s 3D image, “Clients have their wedding photographs from the 1960s made into 3D and fitted inside a crystal glass block.

People are also very passionate about their homes.”

Pets are popular and another big market is classic cars.

“It’s perfect for anyone who is passionate about something and wants to encapsulate it in crystal,” she said.

“It could be someone who loves golf, a picture of them with a golf club. I think it’s the novelty and the fact the image has body behind it.”

Carolyn can work with most images, but recommends avoiding long distance shots as close-ups work best.

“If you’re taking a photograph of an animal, don’t look down on it; if it’s a small dog, put it on a table because you want it at eye level,” she said.

“Also, anything you can’t see I can’t create so if a leg is obscured by another leg, then that animal will only have three legs. A dog sitting with two front paws out is great, but if the dog is standing, beware of the fourth leg.”

While many photographers are busy removing spots and wrinkles at the request of customers, with 3D everything is magnified.

“It doesn’t bring out the blemishes, but if you’re an older person like me, your laughter lines and personality will certainly shine through,” said Carolyn.

“Let’s just say it’s for people who are comfortable with themselves.

“People often come in and say ‘I’ve got to brush my hair’ or ‘I’ve just had my hair done’, but the hair is the least obvious thing in the pictures. It’s the details on the face and the light on the face which are captured.”

There is scope for some imagination, however. Carolyn has had a few requests to superimpose a face on a body with a six-pack.

“If you’re giving a present to someone of something they love, how can you go wrong?”

Crystal3d: Call 01423- 322-467 or mobile 07824- 557253. Email info@crystal is3d.com or visit crystalis3d.com. Carolyn will be at the Christmas Fair at York Racecourse from November 16-18.