I agree with Eric and appreciate the way he explained it.
To be direct can and does turn people off - and I can be that way at times,
but one issue that often comes up - is trying to make the photo look interesting. When photographing pens, the pen should to be the center of attention. The pen is what one is trying to show off - after all. Usually, USUALLY busy backgrounds distract. Once in a blue moon, there is a particular background that goes well with pens being shown. I don't remember which one but one of the front page pens recently had a background with quite a bit of detail, but it worked well with the pens. By and large, if anything is in the background or to the side, it should not detract from the showcased pen. To show off a pen, it is not about how interesting of a picture can be made with a pen in it. The pen should be the photograph. Accents "can" help, but should not distract. In Ball Room dancing, the man is there to showcase the woman - to bring attention to the woman, not distract from her and draw attention to himself. Accents should be that at best.
Background colors: I am not an expert on this as I can't tell "WHY" for specific background colors, but when I see background colors, I know if it is too dark, too light or too bright. In general, red backgrounds do not compliment most pens, yet many people seem to like red as a background. Red backgrounds tend to absorb the color from the pen (my opinion). Not sure if that is the correct way to say it but it is something along those lines. Black pens on black backgrounds tend to do similar - it is almost like there cannot be enough light to see the pen. Black on black makes for subtle shades and beautiful pictures, but it does not showcase the pen.
This is not about expert photography. It is about asking one's self questions at to what they are seeing or not seeing - to arrive at the best scenario to show off the beauty of a pen just made. Nothing wrong with that.
This next illustration can apply to finishing the pen and the photography of it. I used to make pieces of furniture (flat work) and often take 20 to 40+ hours to make it, and then spend 2 to 4 hours finishing. It took me about 20 years to learn that I needed to spend at least half as much time on the finish as I spent on making the piece of furniture. A good finish showcased the fine craftsmanship, whereas a lackluster and short changed finish diminished the beauty of the wood.
A good finish and a good photograph is what shows off the skill of the maker and the beauty of the object made.