For Best Kilt Pics...

[Tobus]

I couldn't agree more. This is the way I always do it, and it just makes for a better overall sense of proportion.

And really, that goes with anything you photograph. You want the camera at mid-height of whatever object you're trying to capture, so that you're pointing directly at its center, with no 'skew' or distortion of the proportions from having to angle the camera down to capture the entire object. For instance, if you were photographing a painting on a wall, you wouldn't hold the camera at the same level as the top of the frame, angled down. You'd hold it level with the centre of the painting. If you tried to angle the camera, you'd end up with a photograph showing a skew in the lines of the painting, and it would be noticeable by the fact that the top of the frame appears wider than the bottom.

The same applies with people. Kilted or not, the best photos when trying to capture their full height will be taken from mid-height (or waist level). And of course, what makes it even more noticeable with kilts is the fact that the apron is in front of the legs/knees, so the higher the camera is, the more it 'hides' the knees and looks plain goofy.

And actually, some of the best photos I've seen of kilts were taken more from ground level. By using the skew factor to advantage, a ground-level photo can make you seem like you 'tower'.