diff --git a/src/ImageSharp/Common/Memory/BufferSpan{T}.cs b/src/ImageSharp/Common/Memory/BufferSpan{T}.cs
index 8ef88814cd..5efa7bc07a 100644
--- a/src/ImageSharp/Common/Memory/BufferSpan{T}.cs
+++ b/src/ImageSharp/Common/Memory/BufferSpan{T}.cs
@@ -158,6 +158,14 @@ namespace ImageSharp
             return result;
         }
 
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Returns a reference to the 0th element of the Span. If the Span is empty, returns a reference to the location where the 0th element
+        /// would have been stored. Such a reference can be used for pinning but must never be dereferenced.
+        /// </summary>
+        /// <returns>The reference to the 0th element</returns>
+        [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+        public ref T DangerousGetPinnableReference() => ref Unsafe.AsRef<T>((void*)this.PointerAtOffset);
+
         /// <summary>
         /// Forms a slice out of the given BufferSpan, beginning at 'start'.
         /// </summary>
diff --git a/tests/ImageSharp.Benchmarks/Color/Bulk/PackFromVector4ReferenceVsPointer.cs b/tests/ImageSharp.Benchmarks/Color/Bulk/PackFromVector4ReferenceVsPointer.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..e912ea29f6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ImageSharp.Benchmarks/Color/Bulk/PackFromVector4ReferenceVsPointer.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+namespace ImageSharp.Benchmarks
+{
+    using System.Numerics;
+    using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
+
+    using BenchmarkDotNet.Attributes;
+
+    using ImageSharp;
+    
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Compares two implementation candidates for general BulkPixelOperations.ToVector4():
+    /// - One iterating with pointers
+    /// - One iterating with ref locals
+    /// </summary>
+    public unsafe class PackFromVector4ReferenceVsPointer
+    {
+        private PinnedBuffer<ImageSharp.Color> destination;
+
+        private PinnedBuffer<Vector4> source;
+
+        [Params(16, 128, 1024)]
+        public int Count { get; set; }
+
+        [Setup]
+        public void Setup()
+        {
+            this.destination = new PinnedBuffer<ImageSharp.Color>(this.Count);
+            this.source = new PinnedBuffer<Vector4>(this.Count * 4);
+        }
+
+        [Cleanup]
+        public void Cleanup()
+        {
+            this.source.Dispose();
+            this.destination.Dispose();
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Baseline = true)]
+        public void PackUsingPointers()
+        {
+            Vector4* sp = (Vector4*)this.source.Pointer;
+            byte* dp = (byte*)this.destination.Pointer;
+            int count = this.Count;
+            int size = sizeof(ImageSharp.Color);
+
+            for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
+            {
+                Vector4 v = Unsafe.Read<Vector4>(sp);
+                ImageSharp.Color c = default(ImageSharp.Color);
+                c.PackFromVector4(v);
+                Unsafe.Write(dp, c);
+
+                sp++;
+                dp += size;
+            }
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark]
+        public void PackUsingReferences()
+        {
+            ref Vector4 sp = ref this.source.Array[0];
+            ref ImageSharp.Color dp = ref this.destination.Array[0];
+            int count = this.Count;
+
+            for (int i = 0; i < count; i++)
+            {
+                dp.PackFromVector4(sp);
+
+                sp = Unsafe.Add(ref sp, 1);
+                dp = Unsafe.Add(ref dp, 1);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/ImageSharp.Benchmarks/General/PixelIndexing.cs b/tests/ImageSharp.Benchmarks/General/PixelIndexing.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8dc8744eb2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/ImageSharp.Benchmarks/General/PixelIndexing.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+namespace ImageSharp.Benchmarks.General
+{
+    using System.Numerics;
+    using System.Runtime.CompilerServices;
+
+    using BenchmarkDotNet.Attributes;
+
+    public abstract unsafe class PixelIndexing
+    {
+        /// <summary>
+        /// https://github.com/dotnet/corefx/blob/master/src/System.Memory/src/System/Pinnable.cs
+        /// </summary>
+        protected class Pinnable<T>
+        {
+            public T Data;
+        }
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// The indexer methods are encapsulated into a struct to make sure everything is inlined.
+        /// </summary>
+        internal struct Data
+        {
+            private Vector4* pointer;
+
+            private Pinnable<Vector4> pinnable;
+
+            private int width;
+
+            public Data(PinnedImageBuffer<Vector4> buffer)
+            {
+                this.pointer = (Vector4*)buffer.Pointer;
+                this.pinnable = Unsafe.As<Pinnable<Vector4>>(buffer.Array);
+                this.width = buffer.Width;
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public Vector4 GetPointersBasicImpl(int x, int y)
+            {
+                return this.pointer[y * this.width + x];
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public Vector4 GetPointersSrcsUnsafeImpl(int x, int y)
+            {
+                return Unsafe.Read<Vector4>((byte*)this.pointer + (((y * this.width) + x) * Unsafe.SizeOf<Vector4>()));
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public Vector4 GetReferencesImpl(int x, int y)
+            {
+                int elementOffset = (y * this.width) + x;
+                return Unsafe.Add(ref this.pinnable.Data, elementOffset);
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public ref Vector4 GetReferencesRefReturnsImpl(int x, int y)
+            {
+                int elementOffset = (y * this.width) + x;
+                return ref Unsafe.Add(ref this.pinnable.Data, elementOffset);
+            }
+
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public void IndexWithPointersBasicImpl(int x, int y, Vector4 v)
+            {
+                this.pointer[y * this.width + x] = v;
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public void IndexWithPointersSrcsUnsafeImpl(int x, int y, Vector4 v)
+            {
+                Unsafe.Write((byte*)this.pointer + (((y * this.width) + x) * Unsafe.SizeOf<Vector4>()), v);
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public void IndexWithReferencesImpl(int x, int y, Vector4 v)
+            {
+                int elementOffset = (y * this.width) + x;
+                Unsafe.Add(ref this.pinnable.Data, elementOffset) = v;
+            }
+
+            [MethodImpl(MethodImplOptions.AggressiveInlining)]
+            public ref Vector4 IndexWithReferencesRefReturnImpl(int x, int y)
+            {
+                int elementOffset = (y * this.width) + x;
+                return ref Unsafe.Add(ref this.pinnable.Data, elementOffset);
+            }
+        }
+
+        internal PinnedImageBuffer<Vector4> buffer;
+
+        protected int width;
+
+        protected int startIndex;
+
+        protected int endIndex;
+
+        protected Vector4* pointer;
+
+        protected Vector4[] array;
+
+        protected Pinnable<Vector4> pinnable;
+
+        [Params(64, 256, 1024)]
+        public int Count { get; set; }
+
+        [Setup]
+        public void Setup()
+        {
+            this.width = 2048;
+            this.buffer = new PinnedImageBuffer<Vector4>(2048, 2048);
+            this.pointer = (Vector4*)this.buffer.Pointer;
+            this.array = this.buffer.Array;
+            this.pinnable = Unsafe.As<Pinnable<Vector4>>(this.array);
+
+            this.startIndex = 2048 / 2 - (this.Count / 2);
+            this.endIndex = 2048 / 2 + (this.Count / 2);
+        }
+
+        [Cleanup]
+        public void Cleanup()
+        {
+            this.buffer.Dispose();
+        }
+
+    }
+
+    public unsafe class PixelIndexingGetter : PixelIndexing
+    {
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Get: Pointers+arithmetics", Baseline = true)]
+        public Vector4 IndexWithPointersBasic()
+        {
+            Vector4 sum = Vector4.Zero;
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                sum += data.GetPointersBasicImpl(i, i);
+            }
+
+            return sum;
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Get: Pointers+SRCS.Unsafe")]
+        public Vector4 IndexWithPointersSrcsUnsafe()
+        {
+            Vector4 sum = Vector4.Zero;
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                sum += data.GetPointersSrcsUnsafeImpl(i, i);
+            }
+
+            return sum;
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Get: References")]
+        public Vector4 IndexWithReferences()
+        {
+            Vector4 sum = Vector4.Zero;
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                sum += data.GetReferencesImpl(i, i);
+            }
+
+            return sum;
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Get: References+refreturns")]
+        public Vector4 IndexWithReferencesRefReturns()
+        {
+            Vector4 sum = Vector4.Zero;
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                sum += data.GetReferencesRefReturnsImpl(i, i);
+            }
+
+            return sum;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public unsafe class PixelIndexingSetter : PixelIndexing
+    {
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Set: Pointers+arithmetics", Baseline = true)]
+        public void IndexWithPointersBasic()
+        {
+            Vector4 v = new Vector4(1, 2, 3, 4);
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                data.IndexWithPointersBasicImpl(i, i, v);
+            }
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Set: Pointers+SRCS.Unsafe")]
+        public void IndexWithPointersSrcsUnsafe()
+        {
+            Vector4 v = new Vector4(1, 2, 3, 4);
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                data.IndexWithPointersSrcsUnsafeImpl(i, i, v);
+            }
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Set: References")]
+        public void IndexWithReferencesBasic()
+        {
+            Vector4 v = new Vector4(1, 2, 3, 4);
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                data.IndexWithReferencesImpl(i, i, v);
+            }
+        }
+
+        [Benchmark(Description = "Index.Set: References+refreturn")]
+        public void IndexWithReferencesRefReturn()
+        {
+            Vector4 v = new Vector4(1, 2, 3, 4);
+            Data data = new Data(this.buffer);
+
+            for (int i = this.startIndex; i < this.endIndex; i++)
+            {
+                data.IndexWithReferencesRefReturnImpl(i, i) = v;
+            }
+        }
+
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/ImageSharp.Tests/Common/BufferSpanTests.cs b/tests/ImageSharp.Tests/Common/BufferSpanTests.cs
index aee032accd..32ec5dec62 100644
--- a/tests/ImageSharp.Tests/Common/BufferSpanTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ImageSharp.Tests/Common/BufferSpanTests.cs
@@ -201,6 +201,21 @@ namespace ImageSharp.Tests.Common
             }
         }
 
+        [Theory]
+        [InlineData(0, 4)]
+        [InlineData(2, 4)]
+        [InlineData(3, 4)]
+        public void DangerousGetPinnableReference(int start, int length)
+        {
+            Foo[] a = Foo.CreateArray(length);
+            fixed (Foo* p = a)
+            {
+                BufferSpan<Foo> span = new BufferSpan<Foo>(a, p, start);
+                ref Foo r = ref span.DangerousGetPinnableReference();
+
+                Assert.True(Unsafe.AreSame(ref a[start], ref r));
+            }
+        }
 
         public class Copy
         {