Santa Monica, 1950

Photographer Ralph Crane

Sock hops, poodle skirts, and drive-ins may have been the thing for some in 1950, but these young lovers just wanted to be at the shore. With the cool breeze blowing, they could let the world pass them by and share a warm, quiet moment in the sand.

Born in Germany in 1913, Ralph Crane was expected to be a doctor like his father and grandfather. Instead, he pursued his dad’s hobby―photography. He began taking pictures at age 12 and was freelancing for The New York Times by the time he was 21. After many years of working as a contributor, he joined the LIFE staff in 1951. Crane created striking photo essays on a wide variety of subjects. He planned his images carefully, sometimes drawing out the compositions beforehand for difficult one-shot photographs. ―Anna Lee Gresham

NextWave Rider, 1950