Access files on my iPhone from my iMac computer

I recently purchased my first iPhone, after having used Android phones.

I previously backed up all my files (Photos, videos, audio recordings, notes, screenshots, etc.) straight to my desktop computer and backed up everything on local hard drives. I used Android File Share, where I could see every file on my phone and simply drag and drop it onto my computer, or vice versa for adding a file to my phone.

I'm trying to find a comparable method for this on my iPhone, however nothing seems to be as simple.

Using Finder, I can access my iPhone, however I can't access the specific files such as photos. It just wants me to back everything up. If I go to the photos tab the only option is to "sync photos TO YOUR DEVICE from x." I am worried about the whole "sync" word because back in the day that would mean erase everything that you're not syncing.

I'm not utilizing the cloud because I have so much backed up on local hard drives and want to keep it all together.

And I could use dropbox or something but that just seems so silly to have to upload something and then download it to my computer, rather than just grabbing a file off my phone.

Let me know if there is an easier method I am unaware of, or if you have any questions.

Many thanks for the tips.