Phone favorite - remove picture icon due to screen real estate
Beneath those tiles will be a simple list labeled "Frequently Contacted", and they're listed with a much smaller photo (if one exists). So, as you use the phone, it will automatically build that list up for you of the people you contact the most.

Otherwise, there's not a way to change the layout of the app. Even if you were to create a contact group for those contacts, the group contact display uses the same sort of large photos.

Your other option would be a third-party app.