The invention discloses an image shooting method and apparatus, and an unmanned aerial vehicle. The method comprises the following steps: obtaining a feature image from video image data collected by the unmanned aerial vehicle; extracting scene information corresponding to at least one scene from the feature image; performing matching operation on the scene information and pre-stored target object information in a feature database of the unmanned aerial vehicle to obtain a matching result; determining a focusing area and/or an exposure area of the feature image according to the matching result; and based on the determined focusing area and/or an exposure area of the feature image, performing a shooting operation. According to an embodiment of the invention, automatic focusing and/or exposure of the target object satisfying the user demands is achieved, and the user experience is improved.