best way to add thousands of photos to gallery

<?php
$dir    = '</path/to/images/';
$gal = <gallery_ID>;
$cat = <category id>;
$author = <author id>;

// read the files in the directory
$files = scandir($dir);

$mysqli = new mysqli("<DB HOST>", "<DB user>", "<db pwd>, "<EE DB>");
/* check connection */
if (mysqli_connect_errno()) {
    printf("Connect failed: %s\n", mysqli_connect_error());
    exit();
}

$stmt = $mysqli->prepare("INSERT INTO exp_gallery_entries (gallery_id, cat_id, author_id, filename, extension, title, width, height, entry_date) VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?, ?)");

$stmt->bind_param('iiisssiii', $gal, $cat, $author, $name, $ext, $title, $width, $height, $ts);

foreach ($files as $filename)
{
    list($name, $ext) = explode(".", $filename);
    
    if ($ext == "JPG")
    {
        echo "Uploading $name.$ext<br>";
            
            $title = "$name.$ext";
            
            list($width, $height) = getimagesize("/home/edalzell/thedalzells.org/tmp/$title");
            $ts = time();

            /* execute query */
            $stmt->execute();
            
            rename("$dir$title", "/path/to/photos/in/ee/including/cat/folder/$title");


    }
}
/* close statement */
$stmt->close();

/* close connection */
$mysqli->close();

?>

<?php
    global $DB;

    $gallery_id = <gallery_ID>;
    $cat_id = <category id>;
    $author_id = <author id>;

    require PATH_CORE.'core.image_lib'.EXT;
    $IM = new Image_lib();

    //get the gallery batch upload folder
    $results = $DB->query("SELECT * FROM exp_galleries WHERE gallery_id = $gallery_id");
    $gallery_batch_path = $results->row['gallery_batch_path'];
    $gallery_path = $results->row['gallery_upload_path'];

    // get the category path (if the setting exists)
    $results = $DB->query("SELECT * FROM exp_gallery_categories WHERE cat_id = $cat_id AND gallery_id = $gallery_id");
    $cat_folder = $results->row['cat_folder'];


    // read the files in the directory
    $files = scandir($gallery_batch_path);


    foreach ($files as $filename)
    {
        list($name, $ext) = explode(".", $filename);
        
        if (strtolower($ext) == "jpg")
        {
            echo "Uploading $filename<br>";
                
                $uploaded_image_path = $FNS->remove_double_slashes($gallery_batch_path.'/'.$filename);
                
                $IM->get_image_properties($uploaded_image_path);

                $data = array(    'gallery_id' => $gallery_id,
                                'cat_id' => $cat_id,
                                'author_id' => $author_id,
                                'filename' => $name,
                                'extension' => $ext,
                                'title' => $filename,
                                'width' => $width,
                                'height' => $height,
                                'entry_date' => time() );

                $sql = $DB->insert_string('exp_gallery_entries', $data);

                $DB->query($sql);
                
                // now move the file
                rename($uploaded_image_path, $FNS->remove_double_slashes($gallery_path.'/'.$cat_folder.'/'.$filename));
        }
    }
?>