copyright law does not take into account the method by which the photo is taken. the method falls under patent law.
so if you use a timer, or hire a photographer to click the release, ultimately you own the copyright because you ultimately **produce** the work. copyright owner goes to the producer, not the photographer, and the method is not taken into account.
when a big network like NBC films a TV show, NBC owns the media, not the camera operator, and at no time does the camera operator have any rights to the work because it is a work for hire, and copyright ownership transfers immediately to the producer under a work for hire arrangement.
if you pose for a photo, and your friend clicks the shutter release, that does not mean your friend owns the copyright. the person who owns it is the person who produced it, which means the person who paid for the work and used his creative insight to create the work. if you planned the shoot, did the creative direction, paid for everything, and directed your wife on what to do, you own the copyright to the final product (see 'work for hire' in US copyright law), even if she clicked the shutter release.
copyrights are for creativity, not for methods.