An imaging apparatus includes a light emission unit, an instruction unit, and a light emission determination unit. The light emission unit moves between a light and a non-light emission position. The instruction unit changes, in response to a user's manual operation, to a first state giving an instruction to prepare for capturing a subject's image. In response to setting the instruction unit to the first state, the light emission determination unit makes a light emission determination based on a captured scene. In response to setting the instruction unit to the first state and where the light emission determination unit determines that the light emission unit does not emit light, the light emission determination unit determines that the light emission unit emits light, in response to a user's operation for moving the light emission unit to the light emission position while the instruction unit is kept in the first state.