A measuring and imaging method based on Stokes parameters with a division-of-amplitude polarimeter (DOAP) is presented. The theoretical calculation and parameters measurement are investigated. A DOAP system is designed and calibrated by Equator-Poles (E-P) method. Then, the Stokes parameters can be measured rapidly by use of four photoelectric detectors with the same performance. The Stokes parameters of monochromatic linearly polarized light that passed through the photoelastic sample are measured with the DOAP. Then the phase retardation between the emergent and incident polarized light is calculated and the stress value in the sample is obtained. A plate glass sample and an organic glass sample, which is subjected to axial compressive load, are scanned with this method separately, and their stress distribution are obtained. The experimental results show that, this method can measure the stress at any position of the photoelastic sample accurately, rapidly and nondestructively. It′s a real time measuring method.