On Dec. 2, 5-7 p.m., Greg Ewert and Robert S. Harrison will host a photography opening at LoCo Gallery in the village.

Ewert will show a retrospective selection of photographs from the last 40 years. The highlight will be a set of black and white images presented in Platinum, a special type of photographic print common a hundred years ago. Creating a Platinum print involves mixing three chemicals, and often using the sun to expose the print. The process results in one of the widest tonal ranges possible in photography.

Harrison will be presenting a series photographed on Lopez over the last year after moving back to the island from Morocco.

“This is a great opportunity for me to have a joint show with Greg,” he said. “He was my photography mentor when I grew up on Lopez. We have been talking about having a joint show for many years now and to see it come together is quite special.”

The Weekly asked the two photographers a few questions about their work.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Ewert: I’ve been a visual person all my life, so I take inspiration from the fact that I am able to record what I’m seeing visually. I think some people are photographers by nature, it’s the way their minds and eyes work, and for me, that’s how its been – it’s sharing my vision.

How has being a teacher affected your style of photography?

Ewert: I got excited about photography in the dark room, putting down prints. As a teacher, I’ve worked with a lot of kids in terms of teaching them photography, how to shoot and develop film. Every now and then you get a kid who gets excited about watching a print develop, and that was me. I’ve never lost that enthusiasm – I think it’s a wonderful skill, it relates to life. It takes precision, it takes an eye. It takes being fussy, or being picky about what you want to create, it’s the creative process. All kids need to be taught the creative process in some way or form.

What have you learned from Ewert?

Harrison:  He really helped when I started technically shooting photographs with artistic inspiration. And he showed me how to develop my first rolls of film in the bathroom.

Ewert: Yeah, almost all photographers spend lots of time in bathroom darkrooms at one time or another. I got started at the bathroom of my girlfriend’s brother’s house. Bathrooms – where it all began. As a teacher who loves photography, but never chose to make it my profession, it has been wonderful to help Robert get his start photographically and see him pursue it professionally. He started doing nice work right away and hasn’t stopped.

What’s your most memorable photo in the show and why?

Ewert: The ice fishing photo (shown xx) because I was leading a trip of high school students in Russia in 1986. We went to a church in the middle of nowhere and what we saw symbolized the poverty level. It was 20 degrees outside, and the father of a family was out getting food for his family by ice fishing.

Why shoot in film?

Harrison: All the images in the show are film. Since I got back to the island last year, I’ve been shooting in medium format color film. You have to be mindful and take your time choosing the moments you want to capture. It becomes a much more involved process, because you have to be more present for it.

Ewert: You take more time, you’re not snapping shots like crazy. It’s a different way of going through the world, than it is now in digital photography – you can’t delete things.

Harrison and Ewert thank Carolyn Cameron of LoCo for helping bring the show to life.