Colorado SunFest 2026 is a daylong event bringing Coloradans together to discuss what makes A Better Colorado. Find out more about specific sessions planned for Friday, May 1, below.
Panel Name: What is a River?
Moderator: Michael Booth
Colorado Sun reporters spread across the Arkansas River, from Leadville to the border with Kansas, to learn about the river and the people surrounding it. What is a River at Colorado SunFest will provide attendees with a visual journey of the Arkansas River throughout Colorado from photographer Mike Sweeney.
During the presentation, Sweeney will demonstrate how he captured photos from the series using a drone.
Mike Sweeney, photojournalist
Mike Sweeney has been a visual journalist in Oregon, California and Colorado for more than 25 years and has received more than 30 regional awards while covering news, sports and feature stories. His images have appeared in numerous Colorado publications, as well as The Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times and GQ magazine.
His work is regularly featured in The Colorado Sun and he is a crucial reporting partner for water stories in southern Colorado, including the “What is a river” series in 2025. His work provided extraordinary visual perspective for the stories that traced the Arkansas River from the headwaters high above Leadville to the Kansas border.
For this discussion, Sweeney will share some of his favorite images from the yearlong project and will bring along his drone to help explain how this new avenue of photography is done well.
Editor’s Note: This session is sponsored by Colorado Water Conservation Board and Denver Water.
The panel, “What is a River” is one of 11 conversations scheduled for Colorado SunFest 2026.
The fourth annual Colorado SunFest is Friday, May 1, at Josef Korbel School of Global and Public Affairs on the University of Denver campus. Tickets for the event are available on The Colorado SunFest event page.