Elektro’s Andrew Rauner joins IDentity Festival

We are proud to announce that our very own Senior Photographer, Andrew Rauner, will be going on the IDentity Tour for the entire duration from July 19th – August 19th, documenting every second of the iconic festival for us from the shows, to backstage, and beyond. Elektro will be your one stop shop for all things IDentity. Learn more about Andrew below:

Andrew Rauner, senior online photographer for Elektro Magazine, started his own freelance photography company, AJRphotography, in 2008. A recent graduate from Brandeis University, Andrew has developed his business into a full-fledged nightlife, concert and event photography service, specializing in live concerts. AJR frequents stages across the east coast, from Ultra to Electric Zoo, and has shot in front of countless names in the EDM community. Andrew intends to grow his brand, AJRphotography alongside the Elektro name, and continue to provide the highest quality representations of these events. Traveling this summer representing Elektro alongside Identity Festival, Andrew intends to bring the full festival experience to the eyes of every EDM fan. Through photos, videos, vlogs and a well rounded social media platform, AJRphotography will bring every aspect of Identity to the public. As the resident “William Miller” (for those who haven’t seen “Almost Famous,” read: “young journalist) on tour, Andrew quotes Crowe’s famous movie exhibiting his excitement: “Sometimes I think I live in a different world.”

Favorite drink? Alcohol? Virgin? Gin and Tonic, Coke (from a red can)

Scariest groupie moment? I wish I was cool enough to have groupies, I’ll get back to you on that.

If you could have one superhero power, what would it be? Probably flight

First job you ever had? Helped out around the office of a local real estate firm.

Favorite candy / snack? Cheeze-Its

What do you drive? Hyundai Santa Fe ... It’s been to as many concerts as I have

If you had one night left to live, how would you spend it? Steal a jet and chase the night around the world.

What song do you sing in the shower? Lately, I can’t seem to get Rolling Stone T-Shirt (Dada Life) out of my head.

Favorite video game? Advanced Wars for Game Boy Advance

What can't leave home without? A camera of any sort

First DJ you ever saw live? Where? Fedde Le Grand at Ultra – go big or go home right?

Most embarrassing photographing moment? Well, I don’t really perform, but at one of my first EDM shoots, I was trying-out to shoot for this night club in Boston and Steve Aoki was DJing. I was shooting from the edge of the stage, and he dove in, into his standard crowd-raft. In effort to get some cool shots I leaned back and fell clean into the crowd, luckily they supported me for a bit before I fell down into the sea of fans trying to get covered in champagne. Even worse, after that night, the promoters loved my photographs, but couldn’t hire me because I was only 19 and it was a 21+ venue (oops).

First album you bought? When I turned 10 my parents gave me 3 albums and a boom-box for my birthday, the only album I remember was Please Please Me by the Beatles

If you had to have eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? If health wasn’t an issue – Pizza hands down

Ever been star struck? By who? Once. A few years ago I met Paul McCartney at a breakfast place in Amagansett. I was with my mom and asked if I should go talk to him because I was so freaked out. He’s a Beatle you know? I went over and told him that I appreciate his work and impact on the music world, and that there was an Abbey Road poster hanging in my college dorm. He said thanks and smiled. Made my week.

What’s on your computer wallpaper? A photo I took a few years back over a dock at sunrise – I still think its one of the best pictures I’ve ever taken

What’s the best advice you ever got? From who? My dad gives me lots of advice, he has a list of rules and two have always stood out. One: “Dogs and Balls” (Why does a dog lick its balls? Because it CAN – If you can do something, do it. If someone else can do something, they probably will). Two: “If something is extremely fuckable, its highly likely that it will get fucked” (Basically, know how to cut your losses, understand that not everything goes your way, and always keep a positive outlook)

Celebrity crush? Mila Kunis

Favorite piece of Camera equipment? Why? I think my favorite piece of equipment is still my Grandfather’s old Minolta SRT-102. Its a very old-school film camera that he gave me years ago before he passed, he was a professional photographer. I had it re-built and still use it from time to time. It reminds me to take it slow, not to just snap away and look at the photos later, and really be deliberate with every detail of every photograph I take.

What Photographer do you want to:

Hug? Maybe Jim Marshall. Not to hug him but just to thank him. His concert and music related photography is simply epic. You want to see what a festival can be – look at his images of Woodstock. You’re jaw will hit the floor.

Party With? The party DEFINITELY follows Kirill (KrillWasHere). We've hung out a few times and even gotten drunk together once, definitely the type I'd spend a blackout night with.

Photograph alongside live? If I got to choose to follow in the footsteps of any photographer's career, it would probably be Rukes. His interest (like mine) is capturing the DJs in their most emotional moments and relaying the entire scene to the world. I hope to have the opportunity to one day travel the world and do the same.

Andrew Rauner Facebook

Andrew Rauner Twitter

IDentity Festival Official Website