Michael Ripper | Odd Choice of Main Profile Picture

I understand that the only way to add images to a person's page is to pay a fee. But did someone actually pay to make this Michael Ripper's main profile picture? Someone unfamiliar with him wouldn't even know he's the guy on the left.

If all the pictures on name pages are placed there by paying customers, then I don't understand about ten percent of the name-page image galleries I come across. Ripper's page is a good example of what I mean. There aren't many images. None of them feature Ripper alone. And the profile image may be the worst one in the gallery.

Can someone explain this mystery?