Who knew an invitation to a birthday party could turn into a commercial project?

I attended a double birthday party at Mystique Dining Theater in Folsom, California, with coworkers in October 2023 and immediately noticed how incredible every element of the experience was. From the intricate décor and refined ambiance of the theater itself to the unexpected quality of the food and the class and elegance of the evening’s entertainment—everything about Mystique was exquisite.

Naturally, I took a few photos, edited them with Snapseed on iOS, and sent them to Terry at Mystique. A little while later, I got a response:

“Hey Torrey. A while back, you came to one of our Halloween shows and took some stunning photographs. After they were edited, you shared them with us, and we’ve used them a few times since. We’ll be attending a convention in Las Vegas this August, and I’d love to create a large display print of one of those images. I’m hoping you still have the original high-resolution file and would be willing to share it so we can feature it at our exhibit. It’s such a beautiful, fitting image, and we’d be thrilled to showcase it.”

I told Terry, “Why have one when you could have eight?” Here was the catch: I’d do the job on trade—one Mystique ticket per photo. He readily agreed, and I set off to upscale the images using Topaz Gigapixel AI.

Fast-forward one year, and I was back at Mystique—this time for my own birthday, celebrating with seven of my closest friends.