To be clear, I'm not complaining about the marketing. I'm complaining about how it is to actually use, in contrast to the marketing.

Literally every digital image management application shares this complaint.

Why on earth should any software development shop cater the design of a robust management app to the person who has nothing to manage?

But I have thousands of photos? I just take them one or two at a time.

I've witnessed the same whitespace but find it still beneficial in contextually separating different 'moments' as they call it. Alternatively you can just go to 'All Photos' album and view everything ever in one giant grid.