Ubuntu Servers :: Trying To Insert JPG File Into MySQL Table

I would like to store JPG files in a mysql database table. I figured that using BLOB fields on the one hand and the 'load_file' command on the other would do the trick. Here is how I set up the table:

mysql> create table blobtable (id int(10) not null auto_increment,
fileName varchar(15) not null,
file longblob not null, primary key(id) );
Query OK, 0 rows affected (0.51 sec)

Then I tried to enter the data:
mysql> insert into blobtable(filename,file)values('pic',load_file('/var/www/temp/IMGP4764.JPG'));

Which got me the following error signal:
ERROR 1048 (23000): Column 'file' cannot be null

It seems to me that the file path to the JPG file (although correct) is the source of the problem, and is causing the load_file command not to work. My first attempt was with the JPG file in my PC's home directory. When that returned the same error message, I figured that maybe the file had to be in the PC's (server's) web area so I put it under the 'www' directory.