Unless a photographer is an employee of the person or entity commissioning the work (and is not acting as an independent contractor as is most common photographer/client relationship) the work product will not ordinarily be deemed a "work for hire" under US law.
Thus absent more, the photographer, AND NOT the client, owns the copyright in the photograph, and thus owns the right to control future and additional uses of the image. (The "fair use" doctrine does provide some exceptions to this right of control, but is perhaps the most complex part of copyright law and beyond the scope of this post.)
The most common exception is where the photograph is part of a collective work or a compilation of work AND there is a written agreement designating the image as a "work for hire." In most other cases designation of an image as a "work for hire" is ineffective, because the work does not fit the statutory definition.
Like other forms of property, a copyright may be transferred, sold or assigned in whole or in part, but the transaction must ordinarily (and certainly under a best practice standard would) be in writing and signed by the owner of the copyright, i.e., the photographer.
Finally, there are antecedent steps, e.g., registration with the Copyright Office, required before a copyright can be enforced (i.e., by claiming damages for or seeking to prohibit unauthorized use of the image) in federal court. Federal court litigation is the exclusive remedy for a copyright infringement, except for the issuance of a "take down notice" under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.
Of course the commercial realities of successfully working with and for clients will affect the conduct and terms of the transaction.
This and the following information are a very brief and condensed synopsis of copyright law, and one should consult an attorney knowledgeable about intellectual property law, especially where substantial financial interests are involved.
https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdfhttp://www.ipwatchdog.com/2009/07/06/sample-dmca-take-down-letter/id=4501/