I have given a lot of thought as to the best way to approach this and in truth I am not sure this is the best way.

I have always tried to keep my personal life largely separate from my business.  However I have come to realize that as a wedding photographer I am ultimately my business and who I am defines how I see and how I see is my business.

Who I am is going to change in a fundamental way.

A large part of my business comes from the kind and gracious referrals of past clients.  This is absolutely wonderful and flattering but it does however pose some logistical problems for what is currently going on in my life.

There is no funny joke or easy way to segway into this.  I am coming out as a trans woman.  Like most transgender people my story is not terribly joyful but this is not the platform for that story.  What I am saying here is that I am coming out as as a trans woman and that I plan to begin living my life as a woman over the next year.

Being trans is not a choice, I was born this way.

Coming out in the public forum was not an easy choice to make but after a long conversation with my father I was reminded of the importance of doing the right thing even if it makes things harder for me.  I am raising my voice and my presence in solidarity with the trans community.

I am coming out as a trans woman because I am tired of living with the fear, shame and anxiety that comes along with living in hiding, with the effort it takes to live two separate lives that can never intersect.   Because I believe in the power of numbers and that the acceptance of trans individuals will only come through visibility.  Because I can no longer stand comfortably on the sidelines while my peers courageously fight for are collective rights.  Most importantly it is because my conscience tells me that gender variant youths need as much inspiration and as many role models as possible.

Will I continue with photography?

Well that’s really up to the public.  I still love photography and I still love telling stories.  If anything my photography and creativity can only flourish as I begin to live a more authentic and fulfilled life.  I have every intention of keeping my photography studio going and building my business so that I can offer gainful employment and valuable hands on internships.  Part of why I am doing this so publicly is because I hope to educate the public about what being trans means.  Hopefully I will encourage other small businesses to hire trans youth.

I am changing the expression of my gender, not my passion and career.  The reality is that the only difference in how I run my photography studio will be my clothes and hair.  I may smile more, I may laugh more and I may just give you even better wedding photos.

This is somewhat of an unprecedented situation and unfortunately they’re not really any guidelines or best practices on how to best approach this.   I just wanted to make clear what and why I am doing what I am doing.

I am changing my name from Daryl to Sophia

Thank you all for your time,

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Persian Wedding Photography

Wedding reception was held at the Bellvue Manor

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Wychwood Barns makes for a really awesome wedding venue in Toronto.  The barns was formerly a garage for streetcars and has now been renovated to be a hub in the local community for artist families and kids.  The barn is still brimming with history and charm and made a really lovely venue for this couples modern and intimate wedding.

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I had such a great time at this weeding.  Southampton is such a beautiful town and the wedding ceremony was on one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen.  We had some great location for the wedding photography with lots of vintage rustic backgrounds.

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