diff --git a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
index 3ca7167af..9b1a47680 100644
--- a/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
+++ b/app/helpers/application_helper.rb
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ module ApplicationHelper
   end
 
   def person_image_tag(person, size=:thumb_small)
-    "<img alt=\"#{h(person.name)}\" class=\"avatar\" data-person_id=\"#{person.id}\" src=\"#{image_or_default(person, size)}\" title=\"#{h(person.name)}\">".html_safe
+    "<img alt=\"#{h(person.name)}\" class=\"avatar\" data-person_id=\"#{person.id}\" src=\"#{person.profile.image_url(size)}\" title=\"#{h(person.name)}\">".html_safe
   end
 
   def person_link(person)
@@ -144,13 +144,6 @@ module ApplicationHelper
 </a>".html_safe
   end
 
-  def image_or_default(person, size=:thumb_large)
-    image_location = person.profile.image_url(size) if person.profile
-    image_location ||= person.profile.image_url(:thumb_large) if person.profile #backwards compatability for old profile pictures
-    image_location ||= "/images/user/default.png"
-    image_location
-  end
-
   def hard_link(string, path)
     link_to string, path, :rel => 'external'
   end
@@ -277,7 +270,7 @@ module ApplicationHelper
     image_tag 'icons/monotone_question.png', :class => 'what_is_this', :title => text
   end
 
-  
+
   def get_javascript_strings_for(language)
     I18n.t('javascripts')
   end
diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index 47d709e84..ea5e7c42a 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -45,13 +45,14 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
   end
 
   def image_url(size = :thumb_large)
-    if size == :thumb_medium
-      self[:image_url_medium]
-    elsif size == :thumb_small
-      self[:image_url_small]
-    else
-      self[:image_url]
-    end
+    result = if size == :thumb_medium && self[:image_url_medium]
+               self[:image_url_medium]
+             elsif size == :thumb_small && self[:image_url_small]
+               self[:image_url_small]
+             else
+               self[:image_url]
+             end
+    result || '/images/user/default.png'
   end
 
   def image_url= url
diff --git a/app/views/publics/hcard.haml b/app/views/publics/hcard.haml
index f6e4c4408..ca0194e3d 100644
--- a/app/views/publics/hcard.haml
+++ b/app/views/publics/hcard.haml
@@ -32,18 +32,18 @@
       %dl.entity_photo
         %dt Photo
         %dd
-          %img.photo.avatar{:src=>image_or_default(@person), :width=>'300px', :height=>'300px'}
+          %img.photo.avatar{:src=>@person.profile.image_url, :width=>'300px', :height=>'300px'}
 
       %dl.entity_photo_medium
         %dt Photo
         %dd
-          %img.photo.avatar{:src=>image_or_default(@person, :thumb_medium), :width=>'100px', :height=>'100px'}
-      
+          %img.photo.avatar{:src=>@person.profile.image_url(:thumb_medium), :width=>'100px', :height=>'100px'}
+
       %dl.entity_photo_small
         %dt Photo
         %dd
-          %img.photo.avatar{:src=>image_or_default(@person, :thumb_small), :width=>'50px', :height=>'50px'}
-      
+          %img.photo.avatar{:src=>@person.profile.image_url(:thumb_small), :width=>'50px', :height=>'50px'}
+
       %dl.entity_searchable
         %dt Searchable
         %dd
diff --git a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
index 9614f39ad..e32b63534 100644
--- a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
@@ -69,6 +69,24 @@ describe Profile do
     end
   end
 
+  describe '#image_url' do
+    before do
+      @profile = Factory.build(:profile)
+    end
+    it 'returns a default rather than nil' do
+      @profile.image_url = nil
+      @profile.image_url.should_not be_nil
+    end
+    it 'falls back to the large thumbnail if the small thumbnail is nil' do
+      #Backwards compatibility
+      @profile[:image_url] = 'large'
+      @profile[:image_url_small] = nil
+      @profile[:image_url_medium] = nil
+      @profile.image_url(:thumb_small).should == 'large'
+      @profile.image_url(:thumb_medium).should == 'large'
+    end
+  end
+
   describe '#subscribers' do
     it 'returns all non-pending contacts for a user' do
       user = Factory(:user)