A method for attenuating an optical beam is provided, and in one embodiment, a communication beam and associated alignment beam are generated by a beam generating element. The alignment beam may later be sampled by a sensor that can provide a relative location of the alignment beam with respect to the sensor. The communication beam may then be positioned so that a desired percentage of the communication beam enters an output fiber. Information, such as alignment beam offset, may be used to position the communication beam. In another embodiment, optical beam attenuation may be provided by using one or more reflecting devices, such as a MEMS device. In this configuration, a MEMS device may position a focused communication beam in such a manner that a desired percentage of the communication beam enters an output fiber.