We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Milly Baine. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Milly below.

Hi Milly, thanks for joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.

LGBTQIA+ couples are still underserved within the wedding and elopement industry. Just take a visit to some of the most popular publications and feature accounts– you’ll find that they almost always feature thin, white, straight-passing, cis couples. Even in 2024, many vendors world-wide reject couples for being queer. It’s my goal to create a community that celebrates all love, all body types, and all skin colors. I want to cultivate a culture that brings those images into the mainstream for people to feel seen and celebrated.

Just last week a couple inquired with me for an elopement in Alabama. I noticed immediately that they had chosen a venue that was not queer-friendly. The couple mentioned how they were waiting to hear back from the venue and I knew immediately that they had been ghosted for being a lesbian couple. I had read a text from the owner of that venue just weeks before about how she “could not put it in her contract,” but she did not allow queer couples to marry within her venue.

I responded to the couple immediately to let them know the terrible news, and with suggestions of other queer-friendly elopement venues in Birmingham. I hated to be the bearer of bad news, but I hated more to see them stuck in limbo. The women appreciated it so much that they hired me on the spot.

Milly, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’m Milly Baine, a cinematic, documentary photographer based in Florence, Alabama. I specialize in elopements and tiny weddings— capturing intimate moments that my clients will cherish forever. I don’t want to just be another vendor at my couple’s wedding or elopement, I want to be their confidant and help to make their day as special and stress-free as possible.

From the moment we connect, I get to know my clients and their love story to ensure that their elopement or wedding is tailored to their unique vision. We’ll work together to choose the perfect location (if they have not already chosen), and I’ll be there to capture all the special moments, from quietly getting ready, to their intimate vow exchange, and to the wild afterparty celebration.

I want every couple to feel like the most celebrated couple on my roster. I want them to see themselves in my work as soon as they land on my website or social media pages. I intentionally feature diverse lovers across all my platforms. Inclusivity within the wedding and elopement industry is a huge part of why I choose to photograph love.

My goal is to create cinematic, emotive photos that they can look back on and relive their elopement or wedding day over and over again.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Nothing is better than making other people feel seen and loved. It is such an honor to photograph my couples throughout their lives. When my wedding and elopement couples ask me to come back and photograph their maternity session, newborns, and growing families– THAT is the biggest honor. I love the connection I have with my clients and it is such a beautiful experience to photograph their love. Some of my favorite moments in life are held within other people’s love stories an the photographs I created around them.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

I did not have money when I started in photography. I was living with my boyfriend (now husband) in an old, small duplex. It was the cheapest place we could find. I was working full time and in college, which was honestly a waste of time and money. A friend was selling her old camera gear, so I took out a PayPal credit card and bought her setup. It was a risk, but I thought I could do a few sessions and pay it off.

I was right! It didn’t take long before I was booking weddings and sessions regularly. I paid of my credit card and invested the profits back into my business. We scraped by for a while and I did everything from selling vinyl siding to flipping thrift finds. Now I’ve traded that beginner Canon gear for newer Sony equipment. Hopefully in the next eight years, I’ll own those Leicas I have had my eye on.

Contact Info:

• Website: therosereflective.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/therosereflective
• Facebook: facebook.com/therosereflective
• Other: tiktok.com/@therosereflective