Patent ID: 7868915

Claim:
A photographing apparatus comprising: a photographing means for obtaining an image by photographing; a face detection means for detecting a face candidate included in the image; a face component detection means for detecting a candidate of at least one of face components included in the face candidate with respect to each of the face components; and a determination means for determining whether or not the face candidate is a true face based on the number of face component candidates detected with respect to each of the face components, wherein the face detection means is a means for moving a detection frame, having a predetermined size, for detecting a face on the image to calculate a characteristic amount from the image within the detection frame at each moved position thereof, calculating a matching level between the calculated characteristic amount and a predetermined face characteristic amount, and when the matching level is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, selecting whether to detect the image at the position of the detection frame as a face candidate or as a true face based on a predetermined condition, wherein in a case where the photographing means is a means for obtaining images continuously, the face detection means is a means for detecting, with respect to the images obtained continuously, the image at the position of the detection frame as a true face, and when the scene brightness of the image does not satisfy a predetermined condition any longer, detecting the image at the position of the detection frame as a face candidate.