If you are taking a photo without a tripod, what specific camera setting helps you avoid blurry pictures caused by small hand movements?

The specific camera setting that helps you avoid blurry pictures caused by small hand movements when taking a photo without a tripod is Shutter Speed. Shutter speed refers to the duration, measured in fractions of a second, that the camera's sensor is exposed to light. When you press the shutter button, a mechanical shutter opens and closes, allowing light to hit the sensor for this specific period. Small hand movements during this exposure time cause the camera to shift, and if the exposure time is too long, this movement registers as blur in the final image. By increasing the shutter speed, meaning selecting a shorter exposure duration (for example, 1/250th of a second instead of 1/30th of a second), you significantly reduce the window of time during which any camera movement can be recorded. This effectively 'freezes' the moment, minimizing the impact of slight hand tremors and preventing motion blur caused by camera shake. A faster shutter speed therefore ensures that even small, unavoidable hand movements have less opportunity to affect the sharpness of the photograph.