I have a Macbook Pro M1 and have all my photo software uploaded with no problems at all. They include Capture One, DxO Photolab, Apple Photos, Nik, Topaz, Photoshop and Lightroom. I use an HP printer with no problems. I think you are overreacting and might need to reinstall some software or at least contact professionals who can help you. You will find the laptop very good thereafter and for me better than my iMac M!, probably due to all the software on the iMac I don't have on the laptop.

I turn all settings off except the denoise but that is in PL, don’t know about pure raw. I think topaz can oversharpen but at least that is controllable.

I should also say I use NEF files and the deep prime most severe option in photo lab elite which I assume is the same as the pure raw version.

I have both and use both because so they do not react the same with certain images. I have not analysed the differences but have found that DxO PL is consistently better than Topaz but topaz can be very good for some images. I suggest you trial both and see what works for you. I open them via Capture One with edit with so the process for using each software is the same.

Try smugmug for your own website with e commerce facility. There are others eg zen folio. You can set your own prices and have many options for prints, wall art, canvas etc.

I suggest you look at Affinity Photo, it is cheap and does a lot of what Photoshop does, but it is not intuitive. However you only pay once.

it is still there. Perhaps you have selected the wrong 3 dots, eg from the item immediately above.

Smugmug use loxley in the UK, https://www.loxleycolour.com, I have visited their site which is enormous and offers lots to the professional and amateur. I also got prints for sale via smugmug but not metal ones. There is no need to use smugmug to use Loxley.

I shoot mountain bike races sometimes in woods and use a Nikon D780 and f4 lens with ISO up to 3200. Yes it is grainy but using DXO really removes the noise. Normally I don't even do that and just process in Capture One instead. It does not always work if the woods are very dark but generally it works fine.

I currently have a mid 2014 Macbook Pro. At weekends I attend mountain bike events and upload my images when driving home after the event. Recently the macbook pro has been running out of application memory when I upload about 4000 images through Capture One. So I have to stop driving restart the laptop which then has to go through all the duplicates before it can start uploading new images. I think it is time for a new M1 macbook. I know from reviews that the Air is similar to a low end Pro, and has no fan and only 2 thunderbolt 4 ports, where the Pro has a fan and 3 ports. If I buy an Air I will also need to buy a hub or dock to get more ports for my peripherals, card reader, SSD storage and monogram device I use for fast culling when not driving eg staying in a B&B. I also have Lightroom and may switch to that instead of capture one.

Does anyone have real experience of using the M1 air and/or Pro uploading 4000 images and can offer any advice? Please don't respond with other laptop suggestions, I live in the apple universe.

My club had their first hybrid meeting this week and published their "how to" on their website. Even with 8 pages of instructions it took a time to get it to work but it did work. Their was one presentation from a members home and another at the club meeting.

Here is the instructions attached (hopefully) or try this link:

https://www.mbcc.org.uk/how-to-organise-club-hybrid-zoom-meetings/

Hybrid meeting process
Attached file:
(Download)

I shoot lots of amateur sports and with my D750 and 100-400 lens and have used my carbon tripod with a gimbal from https://www.lensmaster.co.uk/index.htm. I bought the travel version but I dont think that is available now. They also offer a monopod head which I will buy in future once the new season starts. The gimbal doesnt always work in a sporting environment because of the extreme angles I sometimes need thats why I agree with others that a monopod might be more flexible.

Don't forget to "work the scene". Most genres will allow that although maybe not all sports but you can change your viewpoint.

I have used this lens for mountain bike photography and found its auto focus is slow, or at least not as fast as the movement of the cyclists. In your case this might have an impact but I think you didnt focus on his face which is the major contributor to the issue.