Visual Storytelling: Exploring Common Law Marriage in Colorado Through the Lens

What do you envision when you think of common law marriage? For many people, especially individuals from the 51st state, their suggestions regarding common law marriage might be a little different from what many people in Colorado might suggest. Regardless of how you envisage common law marriage, don’t expect the rules for common law marriage to be consistent across state lines. In Colorado, for example, recognition of common law marriage is a remnant of the old common law of England. Principles that were once judgment dates for royal judges, anachronistically became applied to the actions of ordinary citizens and were codified into the law. In the 19th century, Colorado codified common law marriage and required two conditions to exist. First, each party intended to enter into a marriage with each other. Second, each believed they had the capacity to enter into marriage. In addition to these two requirements, each must conduct themselves as a husband and wife. If you look at your friends or family that are common law married, you will likely recognize that each of the following elements are present in their relationship: Exceeding the basic fundamental principles of common law marriage, marriage generally is an opportunity to provide the opportunity for security, companionship, and human attachment. This is where photography will enable the creation of images that are compelling, and that can be used to support your argument for recognizing common law marriage. Photography allows us to capture the smallest elements of a relationship that reveal the true nature of a relationship.

When creating photographs that will be used in supporting evidence to prove the existence of a relationship, remember that the details are important. Short of creating a scene and posing your subjects, consider adding elements to an image that will remind the viewer of the importance of human relationships. The images below show a couple, in the middle of an empty field, looking into the distance. The composition of the image draws the viewer closer, and demonstrates the connection between the two subjects. The first image shows a couple duking it out in the boxing ring. The second image shows two people enjoying the ability to paddle a canoe on a lake together. Understanding that imagery appeals to the emotions of the viewer, recognize the bond that an image has with words and context. When an image is supported by words, the words create the scene for the image that leads the viewer to generate emotional and intelligent connections between the photograph and their own life. In contrast, if you do not include words, the photograph will lend itself to unsupportable speculation regarding the circumstances surrounding the photograph. In short, omission of any contextual information creates the opportunity for unauthorized speculation.

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For further reading on common law marriage, you can check out the Wikipedia page on common law marriage.