Is taqleed shirk?

Q: A Gair Muqallid told me that Taqleed is shirk. I asked him the reason for Taqleed being shirk. He told me that the Muqallids follow their Imam even if the Imam's view conflicts with Qur'an & Hadith. So Muqallids are Mushriq. Is the statement about Muqallids being mushrik given by him correct? Can you tell me some authentic reference to tell him that Taqleed is not shirk and give me some online sources links where I could gain knowledge about the topics of Taqleed, following only one imam etc?

Webcams

Q: I would like to know if the use of webcam is permissible like in video chat? Does it fall under the hukum of images? What if you just use the webcam not for video chatting but as a mirror, like quickly check your hair or your face (similar to a mirror) would that be permissible or not?