Ed,
Sorry, I should have saved the tongue in cheek comments about body photos for another thread.
You are right that the impression the photos give is very important. Anything that cheapens the message is counter productive. That is my problem with the gun shots.
As far as the background and composition of the shot, I agree it is a big part of the overall package, but is secondary to a clear,crisp, properly exposed photo.
John is doing slipjoints, so any major background will be overkill ( that is why I suggested simple backgrounds). A big Bowie leaning against a steer skull may look great, a slippie sitting on the same skull will look lost.
I know that there are a lot of professional photographers who do knife shots, but I often think that when the ratio of background elements to knife is often more than ten to one, it becomes more of an art shot than a knife shot.
Don't get me wrong, I love to peruse my copies of "Points of Interest", and other similar books, but the shots aren't generally knife display shots, they are art.
On composition,if I recall my old classes right, the main subject should be 1/3 of the frame to 1/2 frame. On a 4" slipjoint, that would allow about 8-12" max frame coverage. Thus, any area larger than a full sheet of paper may reduce the impact of the photo. The more elements in the background, the less the folder will stand out. Background elements should be equal or lesser in total content than the main subject. So, a folder would best be shot with small accents, like coins, a pocket watch, or fishing flies. Breaking the surface with texture is also important, as it softens the background and accentuates the sharply focused subject. Weathered wood, and natural items are very good.
I want to comment on the distance when shooting photos of small objects. It is often a temptation to get as close as possible, filling the entire viewfinder with the subject. The better way ( especially with todays much higher megapixel cameras) is to back away 2-3-4 feet,and take the shot. You will get a much better depth of field and lots less glare and reflection. When you edit the photo, crop to the desired frame, adjusting contrast ,brightness, and color if needed. My earlier comments about macro shots were more intended for those doing extreme closeups shots, and not general knife shots.
Stacy
, i just love that picture, every thing just went right in it. as for a back ground color, you just need to find a plane color that does k\not take away from the knife, also i have found that picking a different color then anything that is on the knife helps as well. o and also remember that the color of the background will change the lighting completely as a dark background will seam like it just sucks up the light and a white back ground just seams to make extra light. just play around till you get what you want and take a ton of pictures and i mean a ton. 
