diff --git a/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LDAIR.py b/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LDAIR.py
index 376b1619e094e1c482c0c639fc2e1d7b1225b620..bfc3e1293f65b33ee9a7b16d7bd76dc0596dcf98 100644
--- a/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LDAIR.py
+++ b/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LDAIR.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import pyvision
 import numpy
 import bob.bio.base
 import bob.bio.face
+from .. import utils
 
 class LDAIR (bob.bio.face.preprocessor.FaceCrop):
   """This class defines a wrapper for the `facerec2010.baseline.lda.LRLDA` class to be used as an image :py:class:`bob.bio.base.preprocessor.Preprocessor`.
@@ -24,7 +25,13 @@ class LDAIR (bob.bio.face.preprocessor.FaceCrop):
   """
 
   def __init__(self, REGION_ARGS = facerec2010.baseline.lda.CohortLDA_REGIONS, REGION_KEYWORDS = facerec2010.baseline.lda.CohortLDA_KEYWORDS, face_detector = None):
-    bob.bio.base.preprocessor.Preprocessor.__init__(self, REGION_ARGS=str(REGION_ARGS), REGION_KEYWORDS=str(REGION_KEYWORDS), face_detector=str(face_detector), read_original_data=self.read_original_data)
+    bob.bio.base.preprocessor.Preprocessor.__init__(
+        self,
+        read_original_data=utils.read_pyvision_image,
+        face_detector=str(face_detector),
+        REGION_ARGS=str(REGION_ARGS),
+        REGION_KEYWORDS=str(REGION_KEYWORDS),
+    )
     self.ldair = facerec2010.baseline.lda.LRLDA(REGION_ARGS, **REGION_KEYWORDS)
     self.layers = len(REGION_ARGS)
     self.face_detector = bob.bio.face.preprocessor.utils.load_cropper(face_detector)
@@ -124,22 +131,3 @@ class LDAIR (bob.bio.face.preprocessor.FaceCrop):
       return self.face_detector.crop_face(image, annotations)
 
     return self.crop_face(image, annotations)
-
-
-  def read_original_data(self, image_file):
-    """read_original_data(image_file) -> image
-
-    Reads the original images using functionality from pyvision.
-
-    **Parameters:**
-
-    image_file : str
-      The image file to be read, can contain a gray level or a color image.
-
-    **Returns:**
-
-    image : :py:class:`pyvision.Image`
-      The image read from file.
-    """
-    # we use pyvision to read the images. Hence, we don't have to struggle with conversion here
-    return pyvision.Image(str(image_file))
diff --git a/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LRPCA.py b/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LRPCA.py
index b5e71ec170fe54dbaa3f535a28ac7eb02c6902d1..6969f56f7faa7290a39136bb3b7a6408296da2f6 100644
--- a/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LRPCA.py
+++ b/bob/bio/csu/preprocessor/LRPCA.py
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ import PIL
 import numpy
 import bob.bio.base
 import bob.bio.face
+from .. import utils
+
 
 class LRPCA (bob.bio.face.preprocessor.FaceCrop):
   """This class defines a wrapper for the :py:class:`facerec2010.baseline.lda.LRPCA` class to be used as an image :py:class:`bob.bio.base.preprocessor.Preprocessor`.
@@ -22,7 +24,12 @@ class LRPCA (bob.bio.face.preprocessor.FaceCrop):
   """
 
   def __init__(self, TUNING = facerec2010.baseline.lrpca.GBU_TUNING, face_detector = None):
-    bob.bio.base.preprocessor.Preprocessor.__init__(self, TUNING=str(TUNING), face_detector=str(face_detector), read_original_data=self.read_original_data)
+    bob.bio.base.preprocessor.Preprocessor.__init__(
+        self,
+        read_original_data=utils.read_pyvision_image,
+        face_detector=str(face_detector),
+        TUNING=str(TUNING)
+    )
     self.lrpca = facerec2010.baseline.lrpca.LRPCA(**TUNING)
     self.face_detector = bob.bio.face.preprocessor.utils.load_cropper(face_detector)
 
@@ -111,23 +118,3 @@ class LRPCA (bob.bio.face.preprocessor.FaceCrop):
       return self.face_detector.crop_face(image, annotations)
 
     return self.crop_face(image, annotations)
-
-
-
-  def read_original_data(self, image_file):
-    """read_original_data(image_file) -> image
-
-    Reads the original images using functionality from pyvision.
-
-    **Parameters:**
-
-    image_file : str
-      The image file to be read, can contain a gray level or a color image.
-
-    **Returns:**
-
-    image : :py:class:`pyvision.Image`
-      The image read from file.
-    """
-    # we use pyvision to read the images. Hence, we don't have to struggle with conversion here
-    return pyvision.Image(str(image_file))
diff --git a/bob/bio/csu/test/test_preprocessors.py b/bob/bio/csu/test/test_preprocessors.py
index f13d7532cfb3a29302565ee8d7c0756e0d80555b..b3f7d5f79a0ddad1e0bc68c96f8a7220bfdbeee5 100644
--- a/bob/bio/csu/test/test_preprocessors.py
+++ b/bob/bio/csu/test/test_preprocessors.py
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ from bob.bio.face.test.test_preprocessors import _annotation, _compare
 
 
 def _image(preprocessor):
-  return preprocessor.read_original_data(pkg_resources.resource_filename('bob.bio.face.test', 'data/testimage.jpg'))
+  f = bob.bio.base.database.BioFile(1, 'data/testimage', 2)
+  return preprocessor.read_original_data(f, pkg_resources.resource_filename('bob.bio.face', 'test'), ".jpg")
 
 
 def test_lrpca():
diff --git a/bob/bio/csu/utils/__init__.py b/bob/bio/csu/utils/__init__.py
index 8a28854e7375ae6fa4590bd8229b5413257e7b75..61695410d34c93378f0e73cdb3e1e4696036fa95 100644
--- a/bob/bio/csu/utils/__init__.py
+++ b/bob/bio/csu/utils/__init__.py
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 
 import pickle
 import bob.io.base
+import pyvision
 
 def load_pickle(file_like):
   """load_pickle(file_like) -> data
@@ -42,3 +43,28 @@ def save_pickle(data, file_like):
 
   hdf5 = file_like if isinstance(file_like, bob.io.base.HDF5File) else bob.io.base.HDF5File(file_like, 'w')
   hdf5.set("Data", pickle.dumps(data))
+
+def read_pyvision_image(biofile, directory, extension):
+  """read_pyvision_image(biofile, directory, extension) -> image
+
+  Reads the original images using functionality from pyvision.
+
+  **Parameters:**
+
+  ``biofile`` : :py:class:`bob.bio.base.database.BioFile` or one of its derivatives
+    The file to read the original data.
+
+  ``directory`` : str
+    The base directory of the database.
+
+  ``extension`` : str or ``None``
+    The extension of the original data.
+    Might be ``None`` if the ``biofile`` itself has the extension stored.
+
+  **Returns:**
+
+  image : :py:class:`pyvision.Image`
+    The image read from file.
+
+  """
+  return pyvision.Image(biofile.make_path(directory, extension))