diff --git a/src/panoptes/pocs/observatory.py b/src/panoptes/pocs/observatory.py
index 88371a987..f86f8519d 100644
--- a/src/panoptes/pocs/observatory.py
+++ b/src/panoptes/pocs/observatory.py
@@ -571,7 +571,7 @@ def upload_exposure(self, exposure_info, bucket_name=None):
         self.logger.debug(f'Preparing {image_path} for upload')
 
         # Remove the local images directory for the upload name and replace with PAN_ID.
-        images_dir = self.get_config('directories.images', default=Path('~/images')).expanduser().as_posix()
+        images_dir = Path(self.get_config('directories.images', default=Path('~/images'))).expanduser().as_posix()
         bucket_path = Path(image_path[image_path.find(images_dir + len(images_dir)):] + '/' + str(self.get_config('pan_id')))
 
         # Create a separate process for the upload.