An interesting argument on copyright ownership was raised by the selfie taken by a monkey. To see the story go here
Copyright is a right of ownership in intellectual property that is automatically conferred. Generally  as soon as a work  is reduced to a material form, copyright exists, and it is not necessary, or possible, to obtain a registration for the copyright.
However the right to ownership is dependent on
1. the person who paid for the photos
2. the person who set the photos up
3. the person who took the photos
In most cases the person who commissions the taking of the photograph and pays for it is the owner but this may differ from country to country.