Can photos be downloaded to iPad without using iCloud storage

The transfer of photos to an iPad can be done in various ways not involving iCloud at all: AirDrop, email, even direct sync from a computer.

Once on the iPad, whether they will use iCloud space or not, depends on if you have the "iCloud Photos" switch turned on in Settings ➜ Photos.

If you have it turned on, photos will use iCloud storage, if its turned off, they will not.

You can manually synchronize an iPad to the Mac, using iTunes (pre-Catalina) or the Finder. But as I recall, iTunes was in the habit of reducing the resolution of photos that it transferred from Macs to (iPods / iPhones / iPads).

This had its roots back in the days of early iPods. They had very limited storage and very limited screen resolution, by modern standards, and it didn't make a lot of sense to store full-size pictures (at the expense of music) – when the screen resolution was such that you wouldn't get any benefit from it.

If you have another device that has Airdrop on it or you email or text the photos.

Downloaded from where? Are these photos on a computer? SD card?