You probably need to show us the bit before that. The bit where you set $photo.

Thanks Dave

#!/usr/bin/perl -w
use strict;
use CGI::Carp qw(fatalsToBrowser warningsToBrowser);
use CGI ':standard';

my $chdata = "/home/chdata.txt",
my $chtmpl = "/home/charters1.html";
my $chpage = "/home/charters.html";
my $photodir = "/home/images/ch/";

my $yctname = param('yname');
my $length = param ('length');
my $speed = param ('speed');
my $acc = param ('acc');
my $anc = param ('anc');
my $boats = param ('bts');
my $text = param ('text');
my $text1 = param ('text1');
my $photo = param ('photo');
my $photo1 = param ('photo1');
my $photo2 = param ('photo2');
my $photoname;
my $photoname1;
my $photoname2;
my $buffer;


if (-e "$chdata"){
    open FH, "< $chdata" or die $!;
    flock (FH, 1) or die "Can't lock data for reading";
}

my @count = <FH>;

close FH;

my $count = @count;

print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";


if ($photo) {
    $photoname = join ("", 'ch',$count,'.jpg');
    open (OUTFILE,"> $photodir$photoname") or die "Cant open photofile
+:  $!";
    while (read($photo,$buffer,1024)) {
        print OUTFILE $buffer;
    }
    close(OUTFILE);
}  else {
    print "no file loaded";
    exit;
}
[download]

That's the whole script to the upload :)

i do it like this:

use Fcntl qw( :DEFAULT :flock );
use CGI;
use constant BUFFER_SIZE    => 16_384;
use constant MAX_FILE_SIZE  => 1_048_576;       # Limit each upload to
+ 1 MB
use constant MAX_DIR_SIZE   => 100 * 1_048_576; # Limit total uploads 
+to 100 MB
use constant MAX_OPEN_TRIES => 100;


no strict;
$CGI::DISABLE_UPLOADS   = 0;
$CGI::POST_MAX          = MAX_FILE_SIZE;

our $page = new CGI;
print $page->header();
print $page->start_html(
    -title => $TITLE,
    -style =>  { 'src'=> $style },
);


$page->cgi_error and error( $page, "Error transferring file: " . $page
+->cgi_error );

my $filename  = $page->param( "file" ) || error( $page, "No filename e
+ntered." );
my $fh        = $page->upload('file'); # upload takes the name of "inp
+ut file upload"-field

if (!$fh && $page->cgi_error) {
        print $page->header(-status=>$page->cgi_error);
        exit 0;
}
my $buffer;

if ( dir_size( $UPLOAD_DIR ) + $ENV{CONTENT_LENGTH} > MAX_DIR_SIZE ) {
        error( $page, "Upload directory is full." );
}

# Allow letters, digits, periods, underscores, dashes
# Convert anything else to an underscore
$filename =~ s/[^\w.-]/_/g;
if ( $filename =~ /^(\w[\w.-]*)/ ) {
        $filename = $1;
}
else {
        error( $page, "Invalid file name; files must start with a lett
+er or number." );
}

# Open output file, making sure the name is unique
until ( sysopen(OUTPUT, $UPLOAD_DIR . $filename, O_WRONLY | O_EXCL | O
+_CREAT) ) {
        $filename =~ s/(\d*)(\.*\w+)$/($1||0) + 1 . $2/e;
        error( $page, "Unable to save your file." ) if $1 >= MAX_OPEN_
+TRIES ;
}

# This is necessary for non-Unix systems; does nothing on Unix
binmode $fh;
binmode OUTPUT;

while ( read( $fh, $buffer, BUFFER_SIZE ) ) {
        print OUTPUT $buffer;
}
close OUTPUT;

my $sql_insert = "INSERT INTO bonsai_pics (name,bonsai_id,filename,tim
+estamp) VALUES (?,?,?,?)";
    $dbh->do($sql_insert,undef, $page->param('name'), $page->param('bo
+nsai_id'), $UPLOAD_DIR . $filename, $date) || error $page,"Could not 
+insert $sql_insert :\n";

print "<b>Added $filename</b><br />";
[download]

if I remember it correctly: it's based on an example i once found...
hope this helps (don't forget the binmode thingie ;-) )
--
to ask a question is a moment of shame
to remain ignorant is a lifelong shame