diff --git a/Gemfile.lock b/Gemfile.lock
index 7c25f3f7b..2cc62a8bf 100644
--- a/Gemfile.lock
+++ b/Gemfile.lock
@@ -371,8 +371,8 @@ DEPENDENCIES
   em-websocket!
   factory_girl_rails
   fastercsv (= 1.5.4)
-  haml (= 3.0.25)
   fog
+  haml (= 3.0.25)
   http_accept_language!
   jammit (= 0.5.4)
   jasmine!
diff --git a/app/models/photo.rb b/app/models/photo.rb
index 7faff65a7..8a1479178 100644
--- a/app/models/photo.rb
+++ b/app/models/photo.rb
@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@ class Photo < Post
   require 'carrierwave/orm/activerecord'
   mount_uploader :image, ImageUploader
 
-  xml_reader :remote_photo_path
-  xml_reader :remote_photo_name
+  xml_attr :remote_photo_path
+  xml_attr :remote_photo_name
 
   xml_reader :caption
   xml_reader :status_message_id
diff --git a/lib/tasks/migrations.rake b/lib/tasks/migrations.rake
index ff75a593f..45d02fc12 100644
--- a/lib/tasks/migrations.rake
+++ b/lib/tasks/migrations.rake
@@ -41,12 +41,14 @@ namespace :migrations do
     Photo.all.each do |photo|
       unless photo.remote_photo_path
         # extract root
-        pod_url = photo.person.url
-        pod_url.chop! if pod_url[-1,1] == '/'
+        #
+        pod = URI::parse(photo.person.url)
+        pod_url = "#{pod.scheme}://#{pod.host}" 
 
         if photo.image.url
           remote_path = "#{pod_url}#{photo.image.url}"
         else
+          puts pod_url
           remote_path = "#{pod_url}#{photo.remote_photo_path}/#{photo.remote_photo_name}"
         end
 
diff --git a/spec/lib/tasks/migrations_spec.rb b/spec/lib/tasks/migrations_spec.rb
index 63e700207..1dd6a6aa8 100644
--- a/spec/lib/tasks/migrations_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/lib/tasks/migrations_spec.rb
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ describe 'migrations' do
       @fixture_name      = File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', '..', 'fixtures', @fixture_filename)
 
       @photos = []
+      @user = Factory.create(:user)
 
       5.times do |n|
         if n % 2 == 0
-          photo = Photo.instantiate(:user_file => File.open(@fixture_name))
+          photo = Photo.diaspora_initialize(:user_file => File.open(@fixture_name), :person => @user.person)
           photo.remote_photo_path = nil
           photo.remote_photo_name = nil
-          photo.person = make_user.person
         else
           photo = Photo.new
           photo.person = Factory(:person, :url => "https://remote.com/")
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ describe 'migrations' do
         end
 
         @photos[n] = photo
-        @photos[n].save
+        @photos[n].save!
       end
     end