iPhone won't connect to Macbook

Oh, that's pretty simple to do, once you know how!

1. Launch iTunes.
2. Wait for your iPhone to appear in the top, beside the media dropdown (Music/Moves/Podcasts, etc), then click it.
3. In the sidebar, click Photos.
4. Check off Sync Photos.
5. You can choose to sync all photos from your Photos library on your Mac, or pick just the albums you need.
6. Click Apply/Sync at the bottom of the screen, and you're done!

Okay—my instructions weren't quite clear. I didn't mean click the dropdown, I just meant your phone appears beside that dropdown. Sorry about that. Your iTunes 12.8 will have the same workflow I show below, although I'm on 12.9.

You click this:

And then choose Photos in the sidebar:

You can see how I've got my phone set up—syncing certain albums I choose (not shown, you'd have to scroll down a bit) rather than all photos on my Mac, but that part is up to you. :)

I totally get what you're saying about sticks, rocks, and fire. It's why I like to go camping, at which point my phone is nothing more than a really great camera.

Not a problem, I've had issues syncing photos in the past, and couldn't rest until it was working right. I know how it feels!

Do you ever sync your iPhone with iTunes? Just curious how familiar you are with the process.

I think I understand what you're saying, and you think you understand what I'm saying. But it still isn't working, so there must be a breakdown in communication somewhere! The screenshot you posted was super helpful, actually. It looks like you're still in what I'll call Regular iTunes View, where you play music, watch movies, and (in the past) downloaded apps. You can see this below—one of my album covers is visible, indicating that we are still in Regular iTunes View. I just clicked the Devices button. Since two devices are connected, a popover appeared.

In Regular iTunes View, my sidebar looks like the screenshot you posted. You'll notice there is no "Photos" option here.

We need to get to Sync Device View instead. I clicked the Device button, which brought me to this screen. Please tell me you see this too!

You'll notice the sidebar is slightly different here, and has options for syncing photos as well.

Hello!

Until last month, I was running High Sierra on my MacBook Pro as well. (Looks like that's what you are using, based on the info below your post.)

I do not recall my iPhone appearing in the Devices list in the Finder at any point; however, it'll appear in Image Capture and Photos if you are trying to import photos, and in iTunes for syncing.

Hope this helps!

No problem, have a good evening (or morning/afternoon, whatever it is where you are)!