diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index e7b53d5bf0..4e44004768 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     Daniel Poelzleithner <http://poelzi.org/>
     J. Rademaker
     Brian Ray <http://brianray.chipy.org/>
+    rhettg@gmail.com
     Oliver Rutherfurd <http://rutherfurd.net/>
     Ivan Sagalaev (Maniac) <http://www.softwaremaniacs.org/>
     David Schein
diff --git a/django/db/models/base.py b/django/db/models/base.py
index 2185471e2b..932b533291 100644
--- a/django/db/models/base.py
+++ b/django/db/models/base.py
@@ -281,7 +281,9 @@ class Model(object):
         return getattr(self, cachename)
 
     def _get_FIELD_filename(self, field):
-        return os.path.join(settings.MEDIA_ROOT, getattr(self, field.attname))
+        if getattr(self, field.attname): # value is not blank
+            return os.path.join(settings.MEDIA_ROOT, getattr(self, field.attname))
+        return ''
 
     def _get_FIELD_url(self, field):
         if getattr(self, field.attname): # value is not blank