diff --git a/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb b/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb
index deaa38deb..5d2eeb868 100644
--- a/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/photos_controller.rb
@@ -2,12 +2,10 @@ class PhotosController < ApplicationController
   before_filter :authenticate_user!
   
   def create
-    @photo = Photo.new(params[:photo])
+    @photo = Photo.instantiate(params[:photo])
     @photo.person = current_user
-    #@photo.album = Album.first(:id => params[:photo][:album_id])
 
     if @photo.save
-      #@photo.album.save
       flash[:notice] = "Successfully uploaded photo."
       redirect_to @photo.album
     else
diff --git a/app/models/album.rb b/app/models/album.rb
index 3f993a9bf..1a0a50de3 100644
--- a/app/models/album.rb
+++ b/app/models/album.rb
@@ -36,4 +36,7 @@ class Album
     photos.each{|p| p.destroy}
   end
 
+  def propagate_retraction
+    Retraction.for(self).notify_people
+  end
 end
diff --git a/app/models/photo.rb b/app/models/photo.rb
index 8964e0089..5a5dd1c90 100644
--- a/app/models/photo.rb
+++ b/app/models/photo.rb
@@ -14,9 +14,16 @@ class Photo < Post
 
   validates_presence_of :album
 
+  def self.instantiate params = {}
+    image_file = params[:image]
+    params.delete :image
+    photo = Photo.new(params)
+    photo.image.store! image_file
+    photo
+  end
 
   def remote_photo
-    User.first.url.chop + image.path
+    User.owner.url.chop + image.url
   end
 
   def remote_photo= remote_path
diff --git a/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb b/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb
index 5009aa9d2..460d96abd 100644
--- a/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb
+++ b/app/uploaders/image_uploader.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ class ImageUploader < CarrierWave::Uploader::Base
   def extension_white_list
     %w(jpg jpeg gif png)
   end
-
+  
   version :thumb_small do
     process :resize_to_fill => [30,30]
   end
diff --git a/config/initializers/carrierwave.rb b/config/initializers/carrierwave.rb
index ea3c837d5..8ac46d5d1 100644
--- a/config/initializers/carrierwave.rb
+++ b/config/initializers/carrierwave.rb
@@ -2,6 +2,6 @@ CarrierWave.configure do |config|
   #config.grid_fs_database = "#diaspora-#{Rails.env}"
   #config.grid_fs_host = 'localhost'
   #config.grid_fs_access_url = "/images"
-  #config.storage = :grid_fs
-  config.storage = :file
+  config.storage = :grid_fs
+  #config.storage = :file
 end
diff --git a/lib/common.rb b/lib/common.rb
index a4bb19717..7fd24eb6e 100644
--- a/lib/common.rb
+++ b/lib/common.rb
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ module Diaspora
           object.person =  parse_owner_from_xml post.to_s if object.respond_to? :person  
           objects << object 
         rescue
-          puts "Not a real type: #{object.to_s}"
+          Rails.logger.info "Not a real type: #{object.to_s}"
         end
       end
       objects
diff --git a/spec/factories.rb b/spec/factories.rb
index 1fdd262bf..07baa2488 100644
--- a/spec/factories.rb
+++ b/spec/factories.rb
@@ -44,4 +44,8 @@ end
 Factory.define :post do |p|
 end
 
+Factory.define :photo do |p|
+  p.image File.open( File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/fixtures/bp.jpeg')
+
+end
 Factory.define(:comment) {}
diff --git a/spec/models/album_spec.rb b/spec/models/album_spec.rb
index 58dbb0927..df37e02a1 100644
--- a/spec/models/album_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/album_spec.rb
@@ -24,16 +24,16 @@ describe Album do
 
   it 'should contain photos' do
     album = Album.create(:name => "test collection")
-    photo = Photo.new(:person => @user)
+    photo = Factory.build(:photo, :person => @user)
 
     album.photos << photo
     album.photos.count.should == 1
   end
 
   it 'should remove all photos on album delete' do
-      photo_one = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now)
-      photo_two = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now-1)
-      photo_three = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now-2)
+      photo_one = Factory.create(:photo, :person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now)
+      photo_two = Factory.create(:photo, :person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now-1)
+      photo_three = Factory.create(:photo, :person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now-2)
 
       @album.photos += [photo_one, photo_two, photo_three]
 
@@ -45,9 +45,9 @@ describe Album do
   describe 'traversing' do
     before do
       @album = Album.create(:name => "test collection")
-      @photo_one = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now)
-      @photo_two = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now+1)
-      @photo_three = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now+2)
+      @photo_one = Factory.create(:photo, :person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now)
+      @photo_two = Factory.create(:photo, :person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now+1)
+      @photo_three = Factory.create(:photo, :person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now+2)
 
       @album.photos += [@photo_one, @photo_two, @photo_three]
     end
@@ -76,9 +76,6 @@ describe Album do
       @album.person = @user
       @album.save
       @xml = @album.to_xml.to_s
-      @photo_one = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now)
-      @photo_two = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now+1)
-      @photo_three = Photo.create(:person => @user, :album => @album, :created_at => Time.now+2)
     end
     it 'should have a person' do
       @xml.include?(@album.person.id.to_s).should be true
diff --git a/spec/models/photo_spec.rb b/spec/models/photo_spec.rb
index b17192f39..9ca10e39b 100644
--- a/spec/models/photo_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/photo_spec.rb
@@ -5,16 +5,35 @@ describe Photo do
     @user = Factory.create(:user)
     @fixture_name = File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../fixtures/bp.jpeg'
     @fail_fixture_name = File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../fixtures/msg.xml'
-    @photo = Photo.new(:person => @user, :album => Album.create(:name => "foo"))
+    @album = Album.create(:name => "foo", :person => @user)
+    @photo = Photo.new(:person => @user, :album => @album)
   end
+
+  it 'should have a constructor' do
+    photo = Photo.instantiate(:person => @user, :album => @album, :image => File.open(@fixture_name)) 
+    photo.save.should be true
+    photo.image.read.nil?.should be false
+  end
+
   it 'should save a @photo to GridFS' do
-    file = File.open(@fixture_name)
-    @photo.image = file
+    @photo.image.store! File.open(@fixture_name)
     @photo.save.should == true
     binary = @photo.image.read
     fixture_binary = File.open(@fixture_name).read
     binary.should == fixture_binary
   end
+
+  it  'must have an album' do
+
+    photo = Photo.new(:person => @user)
+    photo.image = File.open(@fixture_name)
+    photo.save
+    photo.valid?.should be false
+    photo.album = Album.create(:name => "foo", :person => @user)
+    photo.save
+    Photo.first.album.name.should == 'foo'
+  end
+
   describe 'non-image files' do
     it 'should not store' do
       file = File.open(@fail_fixture_name)
@@ -33,13 +52,7 @@ describe Photo do
     end
 
 
-    it  'must have an album' do
-      photo = Photo.new(:person => @user)
-      photo.valid?.should be false
-      photo.album = Album.new(:name => "foo")
-      photo.save
-      Photo.first.album.name.should == 'foo'
-    end
+
   end
 
   describe 'with encryption' do
@@ -53,9 +66,9 @@ describe Photo do
     end
 
     it 'should save a signed @photo to GridFS' do
-      @photo.image = File.open(@fixture_name)
-      @photo.save.should == true
-      @photo.verify_creator_signature.should be true
+      photo  = Photo.instantiate(:person => @user, :album => @album, :image => File.open(@fixture_name))
+      photo.save.should == true
+      photo.verify_creator_signature.should be true
     end
     
   end
@@ -63,21 +76,15 @@ describe Photo do
   describe 'remote photos' do
     it 'should write the url on serialization' do 
       @photo.image = File.open(@fixture_name)
+      @photo.image.store!
+      @photo.save
       xml = @photo.to_xml.to_s
-      xml.include?(@photo.image.path).should be true
-      remote_photo = Photo.from_xml xml
-      @photo.destroy
-      remote_photo.image.read.nil?.should be false
-
+      xml.include?(@photo.image.url).should be true
     end
     it 'should have an album id on serialization' do
        @photo.image = File.open(@fixture_name)
       xml = @photo.to_xml.to_s
       xml.include?(@photo.album.id.to_s).should be true
-      remote_photo = Photo.from_xml xml
-      @photo.destroy
-      remote_photo.save.should be true
-      remote_photo.album.nil?.should be false
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/user_encryption_spec.rb b/spec/user_encryption_spec.rb
index e05b31d29..5719a327e 100644
--- a/spec/user_encryption_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/user_encryption_spec.rb
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ describe 'user encryption' do
       message = Factory.create(:status_message, :person => @user)
       @user.comment "Yeah, it was great", :on => message
       message.comments.first.verify_creator_signature.should be true
-      StatusMessage.first.comments.first.verify_post_creator_signature.should be true
+      StatusMessage.first(:message => message.message).comments.first.verify_post_creator_signature.should be true
     end
     
     it 'should verify a comment made on a remote post by a different friend' do