AppleScript to rsync images from a remote server and import them into Photos.app. Cleans up after itself.

PhotosImporter.scpt

# Download photos from the remote server
do shell script "rsync -avz --delete -e 'ssh -p 22' [email protected]:/path/to/photos/ /Users/username/Pictures/SomeFolder/"

set folderPath to alias "Users:username:Pictures:SomeFolder"
set imageList to getImageList(folderPath)

# Import the list of photos into Photos.app
if number of items in imageList is greater than 0 then
    tell application "Photos"
        activate

        delay 2 # Give Photos.app time to open

        tell application "Finder" to set visible of process "Photos" to false

        set theAlbum to album named "SomeAlbumName"
        import imageList into theAlbum

        # Clean up after ourselves
        do shell script "rm  /Users/username/Pictures/SomeFolder/*"

        # Delete the photos from the server now that we've imported them
        do shell script "rsync -avz --delete -e 'ssh -p 22' /Users/username/Pictures/SomeFolder/ [email protected]:/path/to/photos"

        tell application "Finder" to set visible of process "Photos" to false
    end tell
end if

on getImageList(aFolder)
    tell application "Finder" to set theFiles to every file of aFolder
    set imageList to {}
    repeat with i from 1 to number of items in theFiles
        set thisItem to item i of theFiles as alias
        set the end of imageList to thisItem
    end repeat
    imageList
end getImageList