Up Your Selfie Game: Studio Using 3-D Printer To Create Statue Keepsakes

PETERS TOWNSHIP (KDKA) -- A table is filled with tiny statues, or figurines, created in the "3DStatYou" studio in Peters Township.

The mastermind is Kenny Baumgarten. He leads us to a small, round room with cameras peeking though dozens of windows.

"Here we have our camera system," he says, walking to the doorway. "This is where we have the pictures taken. They're 130 mega-pixel Cannon Digital SLR cameras."

They snap your photo from every possible angle. They all flash at once, creating 130 photos. Then, a 3-D printer takes over.

"That's where it just takes all the images, 130 pictures," Baumgarten says. "And based on the relationship and the distance, it creates a 3-D image of that person or pet."

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He creates many of the little statues on a scale of one-inch to one-foot.

"You don't want to buy a figurine based on size, especially for a child, because they're going to grow over time," he says.

He captured 40 firefighters, one at a time. For many, receiving the figurine of a loved one is an emotional experience.

"The coolness factor is what we thought would bring people in," Baumgarten says. "But touching people's hearts is really what's bringing them back."