To provide an imaging apparatus capable of providing much more diversified layouts including a layout which a user cannot entirely figure out in a photographing standby state, and to provide a through-image display method.

The imaging apparatus divides a display screen 15a of a liquid crystal monitor into a main area A1 with an ordinary aspect ratio (3:4) and three sub areas (A2a, A2b, A2c) longitudinally arranged to the right of the main area A1 as shown in Fig. (a), displays an ordinary through-image 101 on the main area A1, and displays layout images (102, 103, 104) being a plurality of through-images whose object areas differ from each other and whose layouts differ from each other on the sub areas as shown in Fig. (b). When any image is selected, an image with a layout similar to a selected layout image is generated on the opportunity of the selection and recorded as a photographed image. Further, when any layout image is selected, the selected layout image is displayed on the main area A1 with magnification at that point of time.