After using Nextcloud for a while i stopped, since it was to buggy, and always took an eternity to load simple pages like the dashboard.

So i decided to switch to dedicated services, instead of using nextcloud to handle everything.

For images i can recommend Immich which is a new open source project specializing in storing your images with local AI support. I can highly recommend it.

beware of leaving an open upload on Photoprism for example -- close your uploads to $public on any photo host IMHO

The Memories app is a LOT faster than the built in Photos app. I use it myself and it's quite nice, very doable on my down clocked old Intel CPU.