US Patent 9392163 Method and apparatus for unattended image capture

Described is a method and apparatus for unattended image capture that can identify subjects or faces within an image captured with an image sensor. The methods and apparatus may then score the image based, at least in part, on scores of detected subjects or faces in the image, scores of facial expressions, a focus score, exposure score, stability score, or audio score. If the score of the image is above a threshold, a snapshot image may be stored to a data store on the imaging device. In some aspects, if the score of the image is below a threshold, one or more audible prompts may be generated indicating that subjects should change positions, smile or remain more still during the image capture process.