do i need an overpriced camera to make great pictures?

i love taking photographs of people, especially portraits, because in my opinion the face is a very complex landmine of emotions.  i love how the expression changes in an instant when i point the camera at them.  but here in Europe, i have a hard time doing that with strangers.  either they are too shy or not too trusting of people, they generally do not let me take their photo even if i ask them first.  

so i moved on to texture photography.  i love how light plays a major role in rough, smooth, crisp, pitted surfaces and how it changes the whole composition entirely.

even though i am an amateur and i really couldn't understand most of the technical terms involved in taking a photograph, i prefer to shoot from the heart.  in my opinion, you don't need to have expensive equipment to take great photographs.  

(but it doesn't really hurt if you have a kick-ass DSLR right?)

peeling paint on a painted brick wall in an abandoned warehouse (Gibraltar)

i've been known as a "forever tourist" here in Gib because my trusty Canon Ixus 80IS goes with me wherever i go!

a secret hole on a stone wall from a crumbling castle (Spain)

brick roofing on a low-ceilinged cafe (Spain)

a riot of yellow wild flowers growing up the Rock (Gibraltar)

i think wild flowers are beautiful!  and i also think the reason they are called wild is because they should remain that way.

like antlers on a mythical deer, the branches on this tree are beautifully enhanced at night (Spain)

an acorn or a pineapple finial i found surrounding a statue  (Spain)

i've been mulling over which camera to upgrade for over a year now.  so many to choose from!  but should i?