Contrast Effect

The contrast effect refers to the enhancing or diminishing of a perception or cognition which is a result from an immediately previous, or simultaneous, exposure to a lesser stimulus.

For instance, the ambient light in your living might normally seem quite bright however if someone takes a photo of you with a bright camera flash or exposes some other type of extremely bright light source, all of a sudden that same ambient light will seem dim by comparison. The contrast between the varying levels of light make the formerly bright living room light seem quite dim as you were exposed to a much brighter light stimulus.