Silver halide color photographic element with improved high density contrast and bright low density colors

A photographic element comprising at least one layer said at least one layer comprising a silver halide emulsion layer containing a cyan dye-forming coupler capable of producing cyan color or a silver halide emulsion layer containing a magenta dye-forming coupler capable of producing a magenta color wherein said at least one layer has an exposure range of at least 0.6 log E from the point where the instantaneous contrast is 1.0 and wherein the instantaneous contrast of said layer increases as a function of increasing exposure over at least 70 percent of said exposure range.