Rock Icon Nikki Sixx and Leica Camera Collaborate to Celebrate Storytelling Through Photography

Nikki Sixx’s First Ever Photography Exhibit And Special Edition Leica Q

To Launch in October

September 20, 2017 — Leica Camera and Nikki Sixx, bassist and founding member of Mötley Crüe and three-time New York Times best-selling author, have combined their enthusiasm for photography and rich visual storytelling with two new releases in October. Leica Camera will debut a special Leica Q “Nikki Sixx Edition” camera, as well as host the musician’s first-ever photo exhibit, Conversations with Angels, at the Leica Gallery Los Angeles.

Sixx’s affinity for street photography is the result of his experience on the streets as a runaway and past drug abuse. Now sober 17 years, Sixx uses his Leica cameras as tools to link his challenging past experiences with stories of hope through capturing images that speak to his strong and meaningful connections to his subjects.

“I’ve been a storyteller all my life – as a lyricist, an author and especially as a photographer. When I’m shooting my subjects, I’m looking to capture more than just an image. I want to tell their stories,” says Sixx.

Sixx’s style and method of photography are unique. He first and foremost focuses on having a conversation with his subjects and getting to know them well before he ever brings his camera out. Only once he’s heard their story does he begin to capture any photographs, aiming to bring these intimate conversations to life in his photos and help to explain the lives of the people he encounters. To help tell these stories, Sixx uses various Leica cameras including the Leica SL, Leica M and his Leica Q to photograph his subjects. Sixx attributes his particular love of the Q to its versatility. “It’s not just a camera for serious work, but a camera to capture life by,” shared Sixx. “I never leave home without my camera. I want it nearby in case I see something that compels me to pull my car over, or walk down an alleyway for inspiration. I love the Q because it’s incredibly durable and has stuck with me through everything – a lot of wear and tear, but it always delivers sharp and poignant images.”

LEICA Q “NIKKI SIXX EDITION”

To celebrate his dedication to photography and the role Leica plays in this creative outlet for Sixx, Leica Camera will release the Leica Q Nikki Sixx Edition, a limited edition release of the rock star’s own full-frame compact camera.

The Leica Q “Nikki Sixx Edition” is a rock-star take on Sixx’s beloved Leica Q camera featuring a black snakeskin finish on leatherette with a laser-engraved Nikki Sixx signature. The Leica Q will also be accompanied by a black Leica leather wrist strap, an autographed copy of the 10^th anniversary edition of Sixx’s memoir, “The Heroin Diaries” and a black DSPTCH braided shoulder strap durable enough to withstand the tough photographic environments Sixx’s frequently finds inspiration in and enjoys shooting.

The Leica Q “Nikki Sixx Edition” will be limited to an exclusive 28 units, a number which has special significance for Sixx as he overdosed on heroin at that age and was clinically dead for several minutes which ultimately provided the turning point that lead him to commence his path of recovery.

This limited edition camera will be unveiled on October 4 exclusively at the Leica Store LA.

CONVERSATIONS WITH ANGELS EXHIBIT AT LEICA GALLERY LOS ANGELES

In a show titled Conversations with Angels, Sixx’s most precious moments and interactions from the past decade will be displayed in an intimate series of photos depicting homelessness and drug addiction, topics that Sixx was all too familiar with before photography helped change his life. The exhibit, Conversations with Angels, will be on display at the Leica Gallery Los Angeles October 4 through November 5, aligning with the 10^th anniversary of Sixx’s memoir, “The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star.”

In Conversations with Angeles, Sixx shows the world his photographic methodology first hand. His subjects, who he considered his angels, remind him through conversation and interaction that his life, and the decisions he makes, are important. In turn, he seeks to find the hope in his subjects to escape their own troubles and achieve a better, cleaner life. “When I get home from shooting,” Sixx says, “I look at those photos for hours. I zoom in on their eyes, their lips, and their fingers and I look for some hope. If I can find that hope then I’ve done them justice in my photography.”

Nikki Sixx’s collaboration with Leica Camera coincides with the 10^th Anniversary of his New York Times bestselling Memoir “The Heroin Diaries” and “The Heroin Diaries” anniversary edition soundtrack album by his other band, SIXX:A.M.

On the original release of The Heroin Diaries in 2007, Sixx partnered with Covenant House California, Los Angeles and raised over $ 250,000.00 to instate a music room on the organization’s campus. On occasion of the Heroin Diaries anniversary and his first photo exhibition, Sixx once again will support Covenant House to raise funds for a photography room and program benefitting the residents.

The Leica Q “Nikki Sixx Edition” is priced at $5250 and will be available for pre-order October 4, 2017 at Leica Stores and boutiques in the United States. For more information, visit www.leicacamerausa.com.

Conversations with Angels will be showing from October 4 through November 5, 2017 at Leica Gallery Los Angeles. For more information, visit www.leicagallerylosangeles.com. Watch Nikki Sixx’s behind the scenes story of “Conversations with Angels” here: https://youtu.be/umKf7gXT2cw

Proceeds from all sales of Nikki Sixx’s gallery exhibits depicting homelessness will benefit Covenant House California, Los Angeles to raise funds for a photography room & program for Covenant House residents. To find out more and support Covenant House California, Los Angeles visit www.covenanthousecalifornia.org/NikkiSixx

About The Leica Gallery Los Angeles

Opened in 2013, The Leica Gallery Los Angeles was created to celebrate Leica photography. The Gallery provides unparalleled access to a rotation of curated exhibits, with imagery captured by classic and contemporary Leica photographers. Beyond the exhibition space, the Gallery also boasts a 1,200 square foot outdoor patio lounge. This serves as an additional location for Leica Akademie workshops, where professional and amateur photographers learn new techniques and get unique perspectives from featured artists. The Leica Gallery Los Angeles is open seven days a week at 8783 Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, California. For additional information, including lists of current and upcoming exhibitions, please visit www.leicagalleryla.com.

About Leica Camera

Passion for creating perfect pictures. Leica represents a union of craftsmanship, design and experience. It is a beautiful collision of art and engineering, and the future of form and functionality. Leica Camera is an internationally operating, premium-segment manufacturer of cameras and sport optics products. The legendary status of the Leica brand is founded on a long tradition of excellence in the supreme quality and performance of cameras and lenses, and the iconic images that artists and photojournalists everywhere captured with them. For more information about Leica visit www.leicacamerausa.com, or follow the brand on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About Nikki Sixx

Nikki Sixx is the International rock icon, founding member of Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M, three-time New York Times best-selling author with The Heroin Diaries, This Is Gonna Hurt and Mötley Crüe’s The Dirt, philanthropist, photographer and syndicated radio show host of Sixx Sense and The Side Show Countdown.

As the creative force behind a multitude of projects, Sixx never stops inventing new ways to express himself and continues to unveil his unusual points of view with new projects. Mediums such as his photography, books, radio shows, music and others have given Sixx the ability to fully develop as an artist. In an age of overnight stars, one hit wonders and YouTube sensations, Sixx has created and maintained a career based on the uniqueness of his content and the creativity he exhibits.

Some of Sixx’s accomplishments include over 100 million in album sales with Mötley Crüe and Sixx:A.M., countless sold out global tours, Mötley Crüe pioneering and selling out the first hard rock residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the award-winning 2012 Kia Motors Superbowl commercial and photographing high fashion for The New York Post’s prestigious supplement, Alexa. Songs written by Sixx have been used in commercials for renowned brands, such as Dodge and Coldwell Banker amongst many others. Nikki Sixx has raised several hundred thousand dollars for Covenant House California which helped fu