diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 59b2499..a860ebe 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 /target
-output.png
+*.png
 .env
diff --git a/scenes/bench.json b/scenes/bench.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f661b97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scenes/bench.json
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+{
+  "filename": "testing.png",
+  "image_width": 800,
+  "image_height": 600,
+  "max_depth": 50,
+  "camera": { 
+    "anti_alias_rate": 16,
+    "fov": 70.0,
+    "look_from": [-10, 1, 15],
+    "look_at": [-11.0, 7.0, 0.0], 
+    "vup": [0.0, 1.0, 0.0],
+    "defocus_angle": 0,
+    "focus_dist": 15.68
+  },
+  "materials": [
+    { "type": "lambertian", "albedo": [0.2, 0.2, 0.2], "prob": 0.8 },
+    { "type": "lambertian", "albedo": [0.9, 0.9, 0.0], "prob": 1.0, "fuzz": 0.1 },
+    { "type": "dielectric", "refraction_index": 1.5},
+    { "type": "normal"}
+ ],
+  "objects": [
+    { "type": "sphere", "center": [0.0, 0.0, -1.2], "radius": 0.5, "material": { "type": "metal", "albedo": [0.7, 0.4, 0.2], "prob": 1.0, "fuzz": 0.1 }},
+    { "type": "sphere", "center": [-1, 0, -1], "radius": 0.4, "material": 3},
+    { "type": "sphere", "center": [1, 0, -1], "radius": 0.5, "material": { "type": "metal", "albedo": [0.8, 0.6, 0.2], "prob": 1.0, "fuzz": 1.0 }},
+    { "type": "triangle", "p1": [-4, 0, -4], "p2": [0, 0, -4], "p3": [-2, 2, -4], "material": 1},
+    { "type": "triangle", "p1": [0, 0, -4], "p2": [4, 0, -4], "p3": [2, 2, -4], "material": 1},
+    { "type": "triangle", "p1": [-2, 2, -4], "p2": [2, 2, -4], "p3": [0, 4, -4], "material": 3},
+    { "type": "quad", "p1": [-20, -1, -20], "p2": [20, -1, -20], "p3": [20, 20, -20], "p4": [-20, 20, -20], "material": 0},
+    { "type": "quad", "p1": [-20, -1, 20], "p2": [-20, -1, -20], "p3": [-20, 20, -20], "p4": [-20, 20, 20], "material": 0},
+    { "type": "quad", "p1": [-20, -1, 20], "p2": [20, -1, 20], "p3": [20, -1, -20], "p4": [-20, -1, -20], "material": 0},
+    { "type": "quad", "p1": [20, -1, 20], "p2": [20, -1, -20], "p3": [20, 20, -20], "p4": [20, 20, 20], "material": 0},
+    { "type": "cube", "p1": [8, 0, 2], "p2": [12, 0, 2], "p3": [12, 4, 2], "p4": [8, 4, 2], "p5": [8, 0, -2], "p6": [12, 0, -2], "p7": [12, 4, -2], "p8": [8, 4, -2], "material": 3},
+    { "type": "circle", "center": [-9, 3, 0], "radius": 3, "normal": [0, 1, 0.5], "material": {"type": "metal", "albedo": [0.9, 0.9, 0.9], "prob": 1.0, "fuzz": 0.3}}
+ ]
+}
+
+
+
diff --git a/src/camera.rs b/src/camera.rs
index f965798..b9f10d1 100644
--- a/src/camera.rs
+++ b/src/camera.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use std::f32::consts::PI;
+use std::{f32::consts::PI};
 
 use crate::{ray::Ray, vec3::Vec3};
 
@@ -6,18 +6,18 @@ use crate::{ray::Ray, vec3::Vec3};
 pub struct Camera {
     // raytracing
     pub anti_alias_rate: u32,
-    pub pixel00_loc: Vec3,
-    pub pixel_delta_u: Vec3,
-    pub pixel_delta_v: Vec3,
+    pixel00_loc: Vec3,
+    pixel_delta_u: Vec3,
+    pixel_delta_v: Vec3,
 
     // camera
     dirty: bool,
-    pub fov: f32,
-    pub look_from: Vec3,
-    pub look_at: Vec3,
+    fov: f32,
+    look_from: Vec3,
+    look_at: Vec3,
     vup: Vec3,
-    pub defocus_angle: f32,
-    pub focus_dist: f32,
+    defocus_angle: f32,
+    focus_dist: f32,
 
     // camera helpers
     u: Vec3,
@@ -115,6 +115,14 @@ impl Camera {
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn get_anti_alias_rate(&self) -> u32 {
+        self.anti_alias_rate
+    }
+
+    pub fn get_pixel_tl(&self, x: u32, y: u32) -> Vec3 {
+        return self.pixel00_loc + (x * self.pixel_delta_u) + (y * self.pixel_delta_v);
+    }
+
     pub fn get_ray(&self, pixel_tl: Vec3, x: u32, y: u32) -> Ray {
         let pixel_loc = pixel_tl
             + (x * self.pixel_delta_u / (self.anti_alias_rate + 1) as f32)
diff --git a/src/raytracer.rs b/src/raytracer.rs
index b69eaab..60f26bb 100644
--- a/src/raytracer.rs
+++ b/src/raytracer.rs
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ use image::{ExtendedColorType, ImageEncoder, codecs::png::PngEncoder};
 use log::{error, info};
 use rayon::iter::IntoParallelIterator;
 use rayon::prelude::*;
-use std::{fs::File, sync::Arc};
+use std::{fs::File, sync::Arc, time::Instant};
 
 use crate::{
     objects::{hit::Hit, traits::Hittable},
@@ -24,8 +24,7 @@ pub fn write_image(filename: &str, pixels: &[u8], width: u32, height: u32) {
 }
 
 pub fn render(scene: &mut Scene) {
-    let camera = &mut scene.camera;
-    camera.init(scene.image_width as f32, scene.image_height as f32);
+    scene.init();
 
     // TODO: currently splits per vertical line, but could be more granular (per chunk)
     let mut pixels = vec![0 as u8; (scene.image_width * scene.image_height * 3) as usize];
@@ -34,9 +33,11 @@ pub fn render(scene: &mut Scene) {
         .enumerate()
         .collect();
 
+    let now = Instant::now();
     scanlines.into_par_iter().for_each(|(i, chunk)| {
         render_chunk(chunk, scene, i as u32);
     });
+    info!("rendering took {}.{} seconds.", now.elapsed().as_secs(), now.elapsed().subsec_nanos());
 
     info!("Writing image file...");
     write_image(
@@ -48,23 +49,22 @@ pub fn render(scene: &mut Scene) {
 }
 
 pub fn render_chunk(chunk: &mut [u8], scene: &Scene, y: u32) {
-    let camera = &scene.camera;
+    let camera = &scene.get_camera();
+    let aa_rate = &scene.get_camera().get_anti_alias_rate();
 
     for i in 0..scene.image_width {
-        let pixel_tl = camera.pixel00_loc + (i * camera.pixel_delta_u) + (y * camera.pixel_delta_v);
-        // THOUGHT: the above seems more efficient (esp for larger aa rates) but can test for a
-        // get_ray_no_tl() function and compare performance.
+        let pixel_tl = camera.get_pixel_tl(i, y);
 
         let mut pixel_colour = Colour::default();
-        for y in 1..(camera.anti_alias_rate + 1) {
-            for x in 1..(camera.anti_alias_rate + 1) {
+        for y in 1..(aa_rate + 1) {
+            for x in 1..(aa_rate + 1) {
                 let r = camera.get_ray(pixel_tl, x, y);
                 pixel_colour += ray_colour(&scene.objects, &r, scene.max_depth);
             }
         }
 
         let (r, g, b) =
-            (pixel_colour / (camera.anti_alias_rate * camera.anti_alias_rate) as f32).output();
+            (pixel_colour / (aa_rate * aa_rate) as f32).output();
         chunk[(i * 3) as usize] = r;
         chunk[(i * 3) as usize + 1] = g;
         chunk[(i * 3) as usize + 2] = b;
diff --git a/src/scenes/scene.rs b/src/scenes/scene.rs
index 527966a..ef9c8b1 100644
--- a/src/scenes/scene.rs
+++ b/src/scenes/scene.rs
@@ -38,6 +38,22 @@ impl Scene {
             max_depth,
         }
     }
+
+    pub fn get_camera(&self) -> &Camera {
+        &self.camera
+    }
+
+    pub fn get_image_width(&self) -> f32 {
+        self.image_width as f32
+    }
+
+    pub fn get_image_height(&self) -> f32 {
+        self.image_height as f32
+    }
+
+    pub fn init(&mut self) {
+        self.camera.init(self.get_image_width(), self.get_image_height());
+    }
 }
 
 #[derive(Deserialize)]