In this thesis I use far-infrared (far-IR) observations performed by the Herschel Space Observatory to study dusty star-forming galaxies, which are believed to be the likely progenitors of massive elliptical galaxies. More specifically, I investigate the far-IR emission of dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs), analyze the near-IR imaging of Herschel-selected lensed galaxies, and investigate the rest-frame UV emission of HFLS3, a z=6.34 Herschel-selected starburst.