1. A method for processing an image of a person, the image of the person comprises an image of a face of the person, the method comprising: defining a first search area in response to a value of a metric parameter and to a location of an element of interest within the image; generating by a processor an edge detection data structure, wherein some of the elements of the edge detection data structure are indicative of edges of the image which are located within an edge detection search area that is contained within the first search area; wherein each column of the edge detection data structure comprises color information representative of a one-dimensional section of the edge detection search area; wherein each one-dimensional section of the edge detection search area is either perpendicular to a boundary of the first search area, have a same origin as other one-dimensional sections of the edge detection search area or crosses the contour of the image of the face of the person exactly once; determining by the processor a contour path in the edge detection data structure in response to multiple edges of the edge detection data structure, wherein the contour path includes a single data structure element from each column of the edge detection data structure; and retrieving a face portion of the image, wherein the face portion is included within a mask that is responsive to the contour path.