Questions About Photos of VTA

If you Google Vertical Tracking Angle, you will get results that include images. In these images, the taper at the end of the cantilever is actually level with the record surface. So, is this what I am aiming for when setting initial VTA? What if this taper and the arm tube are amgled differently? Meaning, what if I get the taper at the end of the cantilever level with the LP surface, but it takes the arm being tilted way up to do so? Is it safe to assume that the stylus was mounted in the cantilever so that if the arm is level with the lp, the VTA is roughly correct?