Importing Photos To Imac Hard Drive

[auntie-bertie]

So when we import photos (insert card in back of iMac), they seem to be stored on icloud and not on hard drive of computer. Have found this out the hard way by deleting 'document's from icloud that were using up all the storage (they were unnamed documents) and these apparently were the RAW files behind all the photos..... and all the photos have disappeared! DH is avid photographer so to say I am in dog house is understatement.
Have tried to import more pics from the camera memory card following instructions....import to... select a folder... what are we doing wrong?

[woofgang]

go to photos, preferences, download orginals to this mac. In photos, you should also have a "recently deleted" file where your deleted pics might be....also NEVER delete them from the memory card until you have backed up your photos library. NEVER delete any kind of file that you know is safe before opening it or checking its properties

[auntie-bertie]

There is nothing in the Recently Deleted folder. I think it is because i deleted the RAW .cr2 files.....
In Preferences/icloud photes it is set to Download Originals to this Mac