diff --git a/lib/libpmcstat/libpmcstat_image.c b/lib/libpmcstat/libpmcstat_image.c
--- a/lib/libpmcstat/libpmcstat_image.c
+++ b/lib/libpmcstat/libpmcstat_image.c
@@ -292,6 +292,96 @@
 	return;
 }
 
+static Elf *
+pmcstat_image_open_elf(struct pmcstat_image *image,
+    struct pmcstat_args *args, const char *path, int fd,
+    GElf_Ehdr *peh)
+{
+	Elf *e;
+	GElf_Ehdr eh;
+
+	if ((e = elf_begin(fd, ELF_C_READ, NULL)) == NULL) {
+		warnx("WARNING: Cannot read \"%s\".",
+		    path);
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	if (elf_kind(e) != ELF_K_ELF) {
+		if (args->pa_verbosity >= 2)
+			warnx("WARNING: Cannot determine the type of \"%s\".",
+			    path);
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	if (gelf_getehdr(e, &eh) != &eh) {
+		warnx(
+		    "WARNING: Cannot retrieve the ELF Header for \"%s\": %s.",
+		    path, elf_errmsg(-1));
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	if (eh.e_type != ET_EXEC && eh.e_type != ET_DYN &&
+	    !(image->pi_iskernelmodule && eh.e_type == ET_REL)) {
+		warnx("WARNING: \"%s\" is of an unsupported ELF type.",
+		    path);
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	if (peh != NULL)
+		*peh = eh;
+	return (e);
+
+error:
+	if (e != NULL)
+		(void) elf_end(e);
+	return (NULL);
+}
+
+static bool
+pmcstat_image_scan_elf_sections(struct pmcstat_image *image,
+    const char *path, Elf *e, uintptr_t *pminva, uintptr_t *pmaxva)
+{
+	size_t i, nsh;
+	uintptr_t minva, maxva;
+	Elf_Scn *scn;
+	GElf_Shdr sh;
+
+	if (elf_getshnum(e, &nsh) == 0) {
+		warnx(
+"WARNING: Could not determine the number of sections for \"%s\": %s.",
+		    path, elf_errmsg(-1));
+		goto error;
+	}
+
+	minva = ~(uintptr_t) 0;
+	maxva = (uintptr_t) 0;
+	for (i = 0; i < nsh; i++) {
+		if ((scn = elf_getscn(e, i)) == NULL ||
+		    gelf_getshdr(scn, &sh) != &sh) {
+			warnx(
+"WARNING: Could not retrieve section header #%ju in \"%s\": %s.",
+			    (uintmax_t) i, path, elf_errmsg(-1));
+			goto error;
+		}
+		if (sh.sh_flags & SHF_EXECINSTR) {
+			minva = min(minva, sh.sh_addr);
+			maxva = max(maxva, sh.sh_addr + sh.sh_size);
+		}
+		if (sh.sh_type == SHT_SYMTAB || sh.sh_type == SHT_DYNSYM)
+			pmcstat_image_add_symbols(image, e, scn, &sh);
+	}
+
+	if (pminva != NULL)
+		*pminva = minva;
+	if (pmaxva != NULL)
+		*pmaxva = maxva;
+
+	return (true);
+
+error:
+	return (false);
+}
+
 /*
  * Examine an ELF file to determine the size of its text segment.
  * Sets image->pi_type if anything conclusive can be determined about
@@ -303,24 +393,23 @@
     struct pmcstat_args *args)
 {
 	int fd;
-	size_t i, nph, nsh;
+	size_t i, nph;
 	const char *path, *elfbase;
 	char *p, *endp;
 	bool first_exec_segment;
-	uintfptr_t minva, maxva;
+	uintptr_t minva, maxva;
 	Elf *e;
-	Elf_Scn *scn;
 	GElf_Ehdr eh;
 	GElf_Phdr ph;
-	GElf_Shdr sh;
 	enum pmcstat_image_type image_type;
 	char buffer[PATH_MAX];
 	char buffer_modules[PATH_MAX];
+	char *chosen_buffer;
 
 	assert(image->pi_type == PMCSTAT_IMAGE_UNKNOWN);
 
-	image->pi_start = minva = ~(uintfptr_t) 0;
-	image->pi_end = maxva = (uintfptr_t) 0;
+	image->pi_start = ~(uintptr_t) 0;
+	image->pi_end = (uintptr_t) 0;
 	image->pi_type = image_type = PMCSTAT_IMAGE_INDETERMINABLE;
 	image->pi_isdynamic = 0;
 	image->pi_dynlinkerpath = NULL;
@@ -345,13 +434,15 @@
 	}
 
 	e = NULL;
-	fd = open(buffer, O_RDONLY, 0);
-	if (fd < 0 && !image->pi_iskernelmodule) {
+	if ((fd = open(buffer, O_RDONLY, 0)) >= 0) {
+		chosen_buffer = buffer;
+	} else if (!image->pi_iskernelmodule) {
 		warnx("WARNING: Cannot open \"%s\".",
 		    buffer);
 		goto done;
-	}
-	if (fd < 0 && (fd = open(buffer_modules, O_RDONLY, 0)) < 0) {
+	} else if ((fd = open(buffer_modules, O_RDONLY, 0)) >= 0) {
+		chosen_buffer = buffer_modules;
+	} else {
 		warnx("WARNING: Cannot open \"%s\" or \"%s\".",
 		    buffer, buffer_modules);
 		goto done;
@@ -361,32 +452,9 @@
 		goto done;
 	}
 
-	if ((e = elf_begin(fd, ELF_C_READ, NULL)) == NULL) {
-		warnx("WARNING: Cannot read \"%s\".",
-		    buffer);
-		goto done;
-	}
-
-	if (elf_kind(e) != ELF_K_ELF) {
-		if (args->pa_verbosity >= 2)
-			warnx("WARNING: Cannot determine the type of \"%s\".",
-			    buffer);
-		goto done;
-	}
-
-	if (gelf_getehdr(e, &eh) != &eh) {
-		warnx(
-		    "WARNING: Cannot retrieve the ELF Header for \"%s\": %s.",
-		    buffer, elf_errmsg(-1));
-		goto done;
-	}
-
-	if (eh.e_type != ET_EXEC && eh.e_type != ET_DYN &&
-	    !(image->pi_iskernelmodule && eh.e_type == ET_REL)) {
-		warnx("WARNING: \"%s\" is of an unsupported ELF type.",
-		    buffer);
+	e = pmcstat_image_open_elf(image, args, chosen_buffer, fd, &eh);
+	if (e == NULL)
 		goto done;
-	}
 
 	image_type = eh.e_ident[EI_CLASS] == ELFCLASS32 ?
 	    PMCSTAT_IMAGE_ELF32 : PMCSTAT_IMAGE_ELF64;
@@ -400,7 +468,7 @@
 		if (elf_getphnum(e, &nph) == 0) {
 			warnx(
 "WARNING: Could not determine the number of program headers in \"%s\": %s.",
-			    buffer,
+			    chosen_buffer,
 			    elf_errmsg(-1));
 			goto done;
 		}
@@ -409,7 +477,8 @@
 			if (gelf_getphdr(e, i, &ph) != &ph) {
 				warnx(
 "WARNING: Retrieval of PHDR entry #%ju in \"%s\" failed: %s.",
-				    (uintmax_t) i, buffer, elf_errmsg(-1));
+				    (uintmax_t) i, chosen_buffer,
+				    elf_errmsg(-1));
 				goto done;
 			}
 			switch (ph.p_type) {
@@ -420,7 +489,7 @@
 				if ((elfbase = elf_rawfile(e, NULL)) == NULL) {
 					warnx(
 "WARNING: Cannot retrieve the interpreter for \"%s\": %s.",
-					    buffer, elf_errmsg(-1));
+					    chosen_buffer, elf_errmsg(-1));
 					goto done;
 				}
 				image->pi_dynlinkerpath =
@@ -439,30 +508,12 @@
 	}
 
 	/*
-	 * Get the min and max VA associated with this ELF object.
+	 * Get the min and max VA associated with this ELF object and add
+	 * symbol information.
 	 */
-	if (elf_getshnum(e, &nsh) == 0) {
-		warnx(
-"WARNING: Could not determine the number of sections for \"%s\": %s.",
-		    buffer, elf_errmsg(-1));
+	if (!pmcstat_image_scan_elf_sections(image, chosen_buffer, e,
+	    &minva, &maxva))
 		goto done;
-	}
-
-	for (i = 0; i < nsh; i++) {
-		if ((scn = elf_getscn(e, i)) == NULL ||
-		    gelf_getshdr(scn, &sh) != &sh) {
-			warnx(
-"WARNING: Could not retrieve section header #%ju in \"%s\": %s.",
-			    (uintmax_t) i, buffer, elf_errmsg(-1));
-			goto done;
-		}
-		if (sh.sh_flags & SHF_EXECINSTR) {
-			minva = min(minva, sh.sh_addr);
-			maxva = max(maxva, sh.sh_addr + sh.sh_size);
-		}
-		if (sh.sh_type == SHT_SYMTAB || sh.sh_type == SHT_DYNSYM)
-			pmcstat_image_add_symbols(image, e, scn, &sh);
-	}
 
 	image->pi_start = minva;
 	image->pi_end   = maxva;
@@ -471,13 +522,13 @@
 
 	/* Build display name
 	 */
-	endp = buffer;
-	for (p = buffer; *p; p++)
+	endp = chosen_buffer;
+	for (p = chosen_buffer; *p; p++)
 		if (*p == '/')
 			endp = p+1;
 	image->pi_name = pmcstat_string_intern(endp);
 
- done:
+done:
 	(void) elf_end(e);
 	if (fd >= 0)
 		(void) close(fd);