diff --git a/trafilatura/main_extractor.py b/trafilatura/main_extractor.py
index 6431896c..5b6ad070 100644
--- a/trafilatura/main_extractor.py
+++ b/trafilatura/main_extractor.py
@@ -440,8 +440,11 @@ def handle_table(table_elem: _Element, potential_tags: Set[str], options: Extrac
     return None
 
 
-def handle_image(element: _Element) -> Optional[_Element]:
+def handle_image(element: Optional[_Element]) -> Optional[_Element]:
     "Process image elements and their relevant attributes."
+    if element is None:
+        return None
+
     processed_element = Element(element.tag)
 
     for attr in ("data-src", "src"):