Patent ID: 8391597

Claim:
An image capturing apparatus comprising: an imaging device; a face region specifying unit that specifies a face region including an image of at least a part of a face in an image obtained by using the imaging device; a face region brightness computing unit that computes a brightness level of the face region; a background region brightness computing unit that computes a brightness level of a background region including at least a part of the image excluding the face region; and an image capturing control unit that determines an image capturing configuration in accordance with the brightness levels of the face region and the background region and performs an image capturing process in accordance with the determined image capturing configuration, wherein the image capturing control unit performs an image capturing process with emission of light or without emission of light in accordance with the brightness level of at least the face region, and wherein the image capturing control unit decreases a degree of sensitivity or a degree of exposure when the brightness level of the face region is lower than a predetermined brightness level and the brightness level of the background region is higher than a predetermined brightness level, and increases the degree of sensitivity or the degree of exposure when the brightness level of the face region is lower than a predetermined brightness level and the brightness level of the background region is lower than a predetermined brightness level.