1. An imaging apparatus comprising: an imaging section that obtains a photographed image; a detection section that detects candidates of a target from the photographed image based on an outline shape of the target; a voting section that, out of a plurality of blocks that are obtained by dividing an area of the photographed image, gives votes to blocks to which the target candidates detected by the detection section belong; a counting section that counts vote results by adding the vote results in each block over a plurality of frames; a determination section that determines importance of each block based on counting results and selects a block to use to control exposure; and a control section that calculates an exposure control parameter to use in the imaging section based on brightness of the block selected by the determination section, and controls exposure in the imaging section.