• Heather John and Baxter Jackson took part in a “stranger session” photo shoot that was captured by photographer Cassie Bailey.
  • The duo didn’t meet until the day of the photo shoot, and they instantly connected.
  • John and Jackson exchanged numbers, and they’ve been spending time together since they posed for Bailey.
  • Bailey’s Facebook post about the shoot went viral, having over 51,000 shares at the time of writing.
  • Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Heather John and Baxter Jackson didn’t know each other before last week.

John, 23, and Jackson, 28, both responded to a Facebook ad posted by Cassie Bailey. John is a property insurance adjuster and mom of two, while Jackson is an aviation mechanic in the Navy.

Bailey was looking for a single man and woman to participate in a “stranger session,” where two people pose for photos together despite never having met before, in Virginia Beach.

“I’ve always wanted to do it and just decided to do it spur of the moment so I couldn’t back out,” Bailey said of why she decided to hold the session.

Bailey said the models she needed for the shoot “had to be comfortable with getting close to each other.”

The models would have to kiss, cuddle, and hold each other during the shoot, so they had to be comfortable with physical contact. John and Jackson ended up being the perfect fit.

"I saw a stranger session photo shoot, and I thought it was really cool," John said of why she answered Bailey's ad. "And I'd been wanting to get into modeling. I saw Cassie's post, and I was just like, 'What the heck?'"

Jackson also responded to the ad on a whim, and he was surprised when Bailey chose him.

John and Jackson didn't see each other before the photo shoot.

Jackson said the photographer sent him a picture of John's outfit before the shoot so he would know what to wear.

The trio all got tested for the coronavirus ahead of the shoot, ensuring they wouldn't unknowingly expose one another. Bailey also asked if the subjects had been exposed to the virus in her Facebook ad, adding another layer of safety.

"I just really thought that he was cute," John said of her first reaction to seeing Jackson.

Jackson felt similarly. "Honestly, I didn't think that Heather was going to be the girl in the photo shoot. She's way too pretty," he said.

Bailey said she tried to make the duo comfortable throughout the shoot.

"I reiterated a lot that you're going to be close with somebody that you don't know," she said. "Just get into that mindset and roll with it."

"It's not going to work if you're going to be shy and hold back," she added. "It just defeats the whole purpose."

John also brought a speaker and played music for them during the shoot, making the experience more fun.

"I eased them in a little bit," Bailey said of how she made the duo feel comfortable with getting physical.

She suggested John and Jackson pose more traditionally at the beginning of the shoot, having them stand next to each other and hug.

"I finally got into the more intense poses, and I was like, 'Alright, now we're going to be kissing,'" Bailey said.

"They were all for it," she said.

John was surprised by how intimate her and Jackson's kiss ended up being.

"Cassie said, 'OK, now it's time for the awkward part,'" John said of how the first kiss happened.

"I looked at him and we just giggled and then we did it," she said. She told Insider she thought it would be a quick peck, but the kiss ended up being deeper.

"It was like they had been together for a hot minute," Bailey said of the smooch.

"It was fun. It wasn't weird," Bailey said.

As they were leaving the session, John asked Jackson for his contact information.

"I was walking back to my car, and I thought that was over," Jackson said. "I was like this girl is way out of my league. She's not into me."

But John stopped him and asked him for his Snapchat name. They also exchanged Instagram handles, and they planned to keep in touch.

Bailey posted photos of the session to Facebook, and they went viral.

Bailey's Facebook post has over 43,000 reactions at the time of writing, as well as 51,000 shares.

People were struck by how good the two looked together.

Bailey, John, and Jackson were all shocked by how popular the photos became.

Bailey's business has boomed since the post went viral; she's completely booked for sessions through the rest of her time in Virginia Beach, which ends on August 4.

She's relocating to Louisiana, where she will be taking on new clients. Bailey also said she's had people request to be in a stranger session with her in the hopes of meeting someone special, but she wants to make clear she isn't a matchmaker.

"That's not my job," she joked.

John and Jackson have been spending a lot of time together since the stranger session.

They've only known each other a little over a week, but they told Insider they're together all the time.

They were even together when Insider interviewed them on the phone.

The duo told Insider they're just friends — for now.

"We're friends for now," Jackson said. "We're not letting social media kind of blow us into being in a relationship. We are strictly platonic right now, and we're just going to move into it organically and see how it goes."

"But we have spent a lot of time together," John said.

"We have so much fun, because he's so funny and we just do crazy things," she said.

They have also been spending time with Bailey, as they have all formed a real friendship.

John and Jackson have also started a YouTube channel to document their time together. You can keep up with their adventures here.

Bailey, John, and Jackson all recommend people try out stranger shoots if it sounds like something they would enjoy.

"Don't have any expectations," John said of stranger sessions. "I wasn't even expecting to have a fun time because I'm miserably awkward."

"But it was so much fun," she added. "Like the most fun I've had in a long time."

"I think it's a great way to meet people, and it's a great way to discover another part of yourself," Jackson said of the experience.

You can see more of Bailey's work here.