It had been 20 years since Eagles photographer Ed Mahan last used a film camera.

On Sunday, Mahan, the first Eagles team photographer, used an old-school Nikon film camera to shoot the team’s Kelly Green game against the Jaguars.

Mahan, known by many as the "Eagles' Eye," has been prominent in the Eagles organization as he has shot for the team for more than 50 years. At one point, he was taking photos for all four Philadelphia sports teams.

Mahan described his experience shooting with an old camera as a "frustrating enjoyment," noting the challenges of using a film camera in today's world.

"It took me awhile to just remember how the film cameras worked. It's completely different than what's happening today," Mahan said. "I just realized the advances since the film days to current day digital images. It was quite an awakening for me to have that time period of not using film and then going back and using it and wondering, 'How the heck did I used to do this?'"

The advances from when Mahan began taking photos for the Eagles are quite large. Now, photographers can take as many photos as they desire and are able to see the images instantly.

On the Nikon motor drive camera Mahan used on Sunday, which was similar to what he used throughout his time with the Eagles, there is a roll of film that contains enough for 36 frames. Mahan cannot see the photos until the film is processed.

"By the end of the game, I had just run out of film. They gave me eight rolls of film and I had just finished my roll and that's another thing to be concerned about. Once you're out of film, you're not a photographer anymore," Mahan said. "With the digital cameras, you can go back out an hour after the game and still shoot whatever you want. You're at the mercy of the film."

However, despite working out some early kinks, Mahan began to remember what it was like to work the film cameras and capture Eagles football. He enjoyed the process of being down on the field again, looking to catch action like he normally would for the team.

"I would just look for interesting things during warmups. Maybe there was a player just getting into his mindset, sitting on the bench with his head down, contemplating what was coming up, a moment of quietness for him," Mahan said about what he looks for before the game starts. "This is off anything that would be visually interesting, the game action, shots like that. Of course, the Kelly Green helmet, that brought back a lot of memories for me going back to the old days."

As the game went on, Mahan continued to learn the vast differences between the old film cameras and today's digital versions.

"Familiarizing myself with the old camera, it sort of brought back memories. It was like there was a time warp where I was pushed back to all those years," Mahan said. "You have to keep track of your frames. If there was an important play that would come up, you didn't want to run out and not be able to shoot. You probably want to rewind that roll of film even before you got to the end, because you wanted a fresh roll of film in case things happened that required more than just the last couple frames on that roll."

In the past, Mahan and company would work on the photos after the game in a dark room at Veterans Stadium. He mentioned that back in the day it would take days – usually midway through the week – for the photos to appear in Eagles publications. They had to be sent to Eagles Digest in Florida to be processed. Mahan was only responsible for taking the photos at the game on Sunday.

After the game, Mahan had a chance to reflect on his experience shooting Eagles football with the old camera and give advice to the next generation of photographers.

"It brought back memories, good memories, but I would say this for new photographers: If you know the score, you're not doing your job," Mahan said. "The most important thing is not to enjoy the game, not to be a fan. You're there to get the pictures and your concentration has to always be on the field and try not to be distracted by all the things going on around you."

– Written by Liam Wichser