photo icon on Mac shows 1

Hey Judygc143,

Thank you for using Apple Support Communities!

We see from your post that you're seeing a notification badge on your Photos app.

This could be caused by sharing your albums.

Try viewing the activity on said albums:

Create a shared album in Photos on Mac - Apple Support

View activity in your shared albums

To see the latest activity in your shared albums—including photos that have been recently added and who added them—use the Activity album, in your shared albums.

• In the Photos app  on your Mac, click Activity below Shared Albums in the sidebar, then scroll to view changes.

Cheers!

Alternatively you can turn off notifications for the photos app, in system settings>notifications>photos.