What's a good camera for portraits/ nature scenes?

I like to take portraits and candid pictures of my family. I love getting compliments when I take a good pic with my samsung. It was a christmas gift. But now I want to buy my first camera and I'm not sure whats good. I don't want the best most expensive but I don't want the cheapest which I what I already have. I also love taking nature shots of flowers mostly but I'll shoot anything I feel is inspiring or beautiful. So does anyone know what's the perfect camera for me. My budget is $500