diff --git a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
index 9280e2d3e..fc5f42f5d 100644
--- a/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
+++ b/app/controllers/people_controller.rb
@@ -65,8 +65,6 @@ class PeopleController < ApplicationController
       params[:person][:profile][:image_url] = photo.url(:thumb_medium)
     end
 
-    prep_image_url(params[:person])
-
     if current_user.update_profile params[:person][:profile]
       flash[:notice] = "Profile updated"
     else
@@ -79,22 +77,4 @@ class PeopleController < ApplicationController
       redirect_to edit_person_path
     end
   end
-
-  private
-  def prep_image_url(params)
-    if params[:profile] && params[:profile][:image_url]
-      if params[:profile][:image_url].empty?
-        params[:profile].delete(:image_url)
-      else
-        url = APP_CONFIG[:pod_url].dup
-        url.chop! if APP_CONFIG[:pod_url][-1,1] == '/'
-        if params[:profile][:image_url].match(/^https?:\/\//)
-          params[:profile][:image_url] = params[:profile][:image_url]
-        else
-          params[:profile][:image_url] = url + params[:profile][:image_url]
-        end
-      end
-    end
-  end
-
 end
diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index b8383de17..698b858d3 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -41,10 +41,26 @@ class Profile
     (self._parent_document) ? self.person.diaspora_handle : self[:diaspora_handle]
   end
 
+  def image_url= url
+    return if url.nil? || url.empty?
+    if url.match(/^https?:\/\//)
+      super(url)
+    else
+      super(absolutify_local_url(url))
+    end
+  end
+
   protected
 
   def strip_names
     self.first_name.strip! if self.first_name
     self.last_name.strip! if self.last_name
   end
+
+  private
+  def absolutify_local_url url
+    pod_url = APP_CONFIG[:pod_url].dup
+    pod_url.chop! if APP_CONFIG[:pod_url][-1,1] == '/'
+    "#{pod_url}#{url}"
+  end
 end
diff --git a/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb b/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb
index c69c0f9d5..853ab5553 100644
--- a/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/controllers/people_controller_spec.rb
@@ -37,21 +37,31 @@ describe PeopleController do
 
   describe '#update' do
     context 'with a profile photo set' do
-      it "doesn't overwrite the profile photo when an empty string is passed in" do
+      before do
+        @params = { :profile =>
+                   { :image_url => "",
+                     :last_name  => user.person.profile.last_name,
+                     :first_name => user.person.profile.first_name }}
+
         user.person.profile.image_url = "http://tom.joindiaspora.com/images/user/tom.jpg"
         user.person.profile.save
-
-        params = { "profile" =>
-                   { "image" => "",
-                     "last_name"  => user.person.profile.last_name,
-                     "first_name" => user.person.profile.first_name }}
-
+      end
+      it "doesn't overwrite the profile photo when an empty string is passed in" do
         image_url = user.person.profile.image_url
-        put :update, "id" => user.person.id.to_s, "person" => params
+        put :update, :id => user.person.id.to_s, :person => @params
 
         user.person.reload
         user.person.profile.image_url.should == image_url
       end
+      it 'updates a profile photo url' do
+        fixture_name = File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../fixtures/button.png'
+        photo = user.post(:photo, :user_file => File.open(fixture_name), :to => aspect.id)
+        @params[:profile][:image_url] = photo.url(:thumb_medium)
+        put :update, :id => user.person.id, :person => @params
+        goal_pod_url = (APP_CONFIG[:pod_url][-1,1] == '/' ? APP_CONFIG[:pod_url].chop : APP_CONFIG[:pod_url])
+        user.person.reload.profile.image_url.should ==
+          "#{goal_pod_url}#{photo.url(:thumb_medium)}"
+      end
     end
     it 'does not allow mass assignment' do
       new_user = make_user
diff --git a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
index 9e54cf6c7..7c9bfa5a1 100644
--- a/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/models/profile_spec.rb
@@ -42,6 +42,30 @@ describe Profile do
     end
   end
 
+  describe '#image_url=' do
+    before do
+      @user = make_user
+      @profile = @user.person.profile
+      fixture_name = File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../fixtures/button.png'
+      @photo = @user.post(:photo, :user_file => File.open(fixture_name), :to => 'all')
+      @profile.image_url = "http://tom.joindiaspora.com/images/user/tom.jpg"
+      @pod_url = (APP_CONFIG[:pod_url][-1,1] == '/' ? APP_CONFIG[:pod_url].chop : APP_CONFIG[:pod_url])
+    end
+    it 'ignores an empty string' do
+      lambda {@profile.image_url = ""}.should_not change(@profile, :image_url)
+    end
+    it 'ignores nil' do
+      lambda {@profile.image_url = nil}.should_not change(@profile, :image_url)
+    end
+    it 'makes relative urls absolute' do
+      @profile.image_url = @photo.url(:thumb_medium)
+      @profile.image_url.should == "#{@pod_url}#{@photo.url(:thumb_medium)}"
+    end
+    it 'accepts absolute urls' do
+      @profile.image_url = "#{@pod_url}#{@photo.url(:thumb_medium)}"
+      @profile.image_url.should == "#{@pod_url}#{@photo.url(:thumb_medium)}"
+    end
+  end
   describe 'serialization' do
     let(:person) {Factory.create(:person)}