Nikon D40 How do I take a picture clearly without the flash?

I've had my Nikon D40 for about a year now and every time I try to take a picture without the flash, there's a blur. I'm just wondering how to take crystal clear pictures without using a flash, instead using natural light.

Tripod.

Stationary object.

Higher ISO.

Large aperture.

Slow shutter speed.

Any of the above can help. Hand-holding a camera in dim light will almost ALWAYS result in a blurry picture.

Natural light indoors is at a low level, so the shutter stays open longer to gather enough light. If you move while the shutter is open you get blur. So put your camera on a firm surface or on a tripod. Also raise the ISO to get more sensitivity, at the expense of getting 'grain' (called 'noise')

Blur would indicate that the camera is moving and that the shutter speed is too slow, ie.camera shake is causing the blur.

To get the camera to increase the shutter speed you need to open up the aperture and/or increase the ISO. If neither of these works then you need to brace the camera on a steady surface, or preferably use a tripod.

What settings are you using? Auto modes? Priority modes or manual?

You don't describe the blur. There are two types of blur: One is where the picture appears soft, but without streaking, the other shows streaking. If you have soft, fuzzy pictures it would be a focusing problem. The streaking would be caused by either camera or subject movement. To resolve the first case (focus) you will have to make sure that you are sharply focused on the subject at the time of exposure. The answer to the second problem (camera or subject) would be to select a shutter speed appropriate to the subject and your ability to hold the camera steady. (Try a faster - 1/500 or higher shutter speed and see if that makes a difference). If you have not already tried this take your camera into the outdoors with plenty of sun and place it on AUTO. Set the film speed (ASA) to 400 or higher. Try a couple of shots this way and see what happens. (That will assure that a relatively fast shutter speed and small aperture will be automatically set and the auto-focus feature engaged.)

I know that this is not a very comprehensive reply but those are the essentials that may help resolve your problem. I'm enclosing a link to Nikon's site where you can download the manual for this camera, just in case you do not have the original.

LINK:
http://www.nikonusa.com/...oprint.pdf

You've put it of for a year now but it really is time to learning basic photography. Get a book and learn about iso, shutter speed and aperture and how they influence a picture.