Google has taken over my gmail!

Hello,
I cannot get to my pictures to insert them into email, because Google has blocked it and insists I must put all of my pictures into their system. I cannot just click on the folder and import them, they have to be moved one at a time. I am a genealogy nut and have thousand and thousand of pictures on my computer. I am furious and can't really change my email provider because I have had the same address for many years. I anyone else experiencing this? Is there anything that can be done



<config>Dell Inspiron 15, 3000 series 8GB RAM 1TB Hard Drive--
Jayne Lee Hill